


By The Bus Stop

by TRCelyne



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Oh my god they were neighbours, Single Parent AU, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-04-05 12:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 60,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14044266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TRCelyne/pseuds/TRCelyne
Summary: Morgan wanted to befriend the little girl he always saw at the bus stop.Robin was more interested in her father.





	1. The Girl At The Bus Stop

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this sitting in my computer since Christmas but I didn't know how to continue it. Maybe I will if someone is interested. Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you are!

            They were always standing on the other side of the road, at exactly 8.10 AM, every weekday morning. And every morning, the little girl held her father’s hand, enjoying her last moments with him before having to part for school. She was always dressed nicely, with blue coats matching the man’s and cute boots. When days were warmer, she always had colourful patterned t-shirts with skirts or capri pants. The only times she looked like a fashion disaster were the days he – or his wife – let her pick her clothes. Or so Robin hoped.

The little girl’s father was really handsome, if she had to be honest. He had navy blue hair, the same color as his daughter’s, always cut neatly. He dressed semi-formally most of the time, with white or blue shirts, jeans, and leather shoes. There was also a permanent smile on his lips, which gave him even more charm.

 

Morgan had pulled on Robin’s sleeve the first time he had seen them, on the first day of school, and she had bent to him so he could whisper in her ear.

 

“Look mom, there’s a little girl on the other side of the road. Do you think she’ll go to school with me?” He had asked, as if they were sharing a secret.

“I doubt it, sweetie. If they’re on the other side of the road, that means she will go the opposite way.” She had answered with a smile, ruffling her son’s hair.

 

            Morgan was very lively and sociable. He always looked forward to making new friends; and the blue-haired little girl on the other side of the road was next on his list. And since then, every morning, he smiled brightly and waved at her. If she did notice him right away, she needed a few days to start waving back at him. Her father, on the other hand, had returned the gesture with a warm smile each time Morgan saluted them. She was probably shy, but Robin’s son did not give up and kept on greeting her every day on his way to school.

            Robin had never seen them when she picked him up after class. The man probably worked later, or maybe his wife went to fetch their daughter instead. She was always on time when the gates opened and her son would run to her, starting to tell her about his day so fast that she often asked him to take a deep breath and start over. Morgan loved to learn; he was interested in every subject, and always asked questions to his teacher – sometimes unrelated to the current topic – in order to understand the world surrounding him better.

 

            On a cold December day, an unplanned meeting forced Robin to call the school and tell that she would be half an hour late. When she picked him up, Morgan hugged her tight, nuzzling against her stomach.

 

“You’re late.” He stated. She could easily imagine the pout on his little lips.

“I’m sorry, Morgan. I had to stay a bit late today, it was unplanned.” She replied with a warm smile “How about you tell me about the things you learned today instead?”

 

            The trick worked, and the boy looked at her with stars in his eyes. He spent the whole way back talking, and soon all the passengers of the bus knew about the amazing infinite hydrologic cycle.

            Once they got off the bus, he grabbed her hand as they started walking to their nearby residence. Until he gasped and pulled on it several times.

 

“Mom! Look! It’s the girl of every morning! Can I go say hello??”

 

            Robin recognised the girl and her father, walking fifteen metres ahead of them. She gave him a sorry smile.

 

“I know you want to befriend her, but she’s with her father for now. Maybe another time.”

 

            Morgan pouted, mumbling something. Further ahead, the blue-haired little girl bounced as she walked, making her father laugh; something slipped from her star-shaped bagpack and fell on the pavement. Even with the distance, Robin could easily recognise a plushie. She patted her son’s back in an encouraging manner.

 

“Morgan, look, she dropped her plushie. Can you be a nice boy and bring it back to her before she gets sad?” She said.

“Yes mom!!”

 

The little boy quickly ran and picked up the dragon-shaped soft toy, and went after them.

 

“Wait!”

 

The girl and her father turned around and looked at him curiously. Morgan stopped running, panting, and almost took a step back. The man was very _very_ tall from up close. He was impressive, even. And she looked older than he had first thought.

 

“Uh… U-uh…” the boy mumbled, then tried to compose himself as he held out the stuffed animal to the little girl “H-hi, you-you dropped this!”

“Oh, Tiki!” She let out and took it from his hands.

“What do we say, Luci?” The man asked.

“Thank you.” She said, and smiled at Morgan “Thank you very much.”

“M-my name is Morgan! And I want to be friends with you!” The boy added, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Always straight to the point!” Robin giggled as she joined them, putting a hand on her son’s head “Did you give the little miss her plushie back?”

“I did!”

“He did, and we are very grateful for this.” The man nodded, smiling “She’s very attached to it, it would have been the end of the world if she had lost it.” He held out his hand to Robin, his charming smile growing larger “Chrom. We finally get the occasion to introduce ourselves properly.”

“Robin,” she replied, shaking his hand “pleased to meet you.”

 

Both children watched their parents do, until the girl turned back to Morgan, mimicking her father by holding her hand out to him.

 

“My name is Lucina Exalt, it is a pleasure to meet you.” She said, standing straighter than she should.

“My name is Morgan Grima,” the boy replied with a large smile, shaking her hand vividly, swinging their arms in the process “nice to meet you!”

 

Their parents observed them and shared a chuckle, before Chrom pointed ahead of them “Would you like to accompany us? We’re living in a residence nearby.”

 

            Robin agreed, and they started walking side by side, Morgan and Lucina in front of them. His cheerful behaviour warmed the atmosphere, both children started chatting happily, and even shared a couple of jokes. It was his magic; even the shyest hearts would open up to his sincerity and honesty. The parents, for their part, engaged in small talk. Chrom worked for the municipal police, which, somehow, fitted him. He looked like the type of person who believed in peace and would do anything to help his neighbour. Robin told him about her job as human resources director, joking about the fact it sounded way less interesting than being a policeman. The warm laugh that escaped his throat, making him tilt his head back faintly, resonated throughout the empty street.

 

\--

 

“Oh, you live here too?”

 

Chrom and Robin exchanged a confused look, both of them holding their swipe cards in hand.  Morgan gasped happily and starting bouncing around, laughing.

 

“Yay! We live in the same residence!!” He gasped again and took Lucina’s hands in his “Maybe we are in the same building!!”

“Uh…” The little girl turned to her father, seeking help.

“It depends,” Chrom said, opening the gate with his card and letting everyone in “We are in building E. What’s yours?”

“We are in building G.” Robin indicated.

“G like Grima!” Morgan added, very pleased of his discovery.

“And E like Exalt!” Lucina completed, smiling.

 

            The little boy pulled his new friend by the hand, already walking fast to the residence’s common garden. She followed him without a word. Robin put a hand on her hip with a sigh and called him back.

 

“Morgan! Come back here please!” She shouted.

“But moooooom” he complained, stopping and turning around to look at her with puppy eyes.

“The night is going to fall, you’re going to catch a cold. You’ll play with Lucina another time.” She explained. It was half past five, and the sun had already started to set “Now come back here.”

 

            The boy pouted and came back, dragging his feet. Lucina walked back to her father and took his hand. Chrom giggled and rearranged the white woolly hat on her head.

 

“Your mother’s right, Morgan.” He said, looking at him “But if you are free this weekend, you can play in the garden this Saturday. If your mother agrees of course.” He looked back at his daughter with a warm smile “Would you like to play with Morgan, Luci?”

“Yes.” She mumbled with a shy nod.

“Sounds good to me.” Robin shrugged.

 

\--

 

            The following Saturday, Chrom woke up earlier to prepare breakfast for Lucina. He walked around his kitchen, humming happily, waiting for his daughter to wake up. He often glanced at the garden from his apartment’s balcony to check if Robin and Morgan were already there or not. He had been scared that Luci did not actually want to meet up with their little neighbour, but after a small talk with her, his doubts had vanished. She had just been a bit startled by the events, but was genuinely happy to meet someone new and _interested_ in her.

            Lucina did not have a lot of friends. Since they had moved in during the summer – and changing schools in the process – she had not made a lot of friends. She was not the type of girl to follow a group, preferring to stick with only a couple of children. For now, Chrom had only met Inigo, a very shy but polite boy. He seemed to take after his mother, who was charming woman but also a bit awkward with strangers. The little boy’s father was the tallest man he had ever met, although he was so discreet he had, more than once, not noticed him until he had greeted him in front of the school.

            When her hot chocolate and toasts were ready, he put them on the kitchen table and switched on the coffee maker, letting the water boil. He did not have one of those high-technology machines with coffee capsules; he disliked the taste of their coffee, and preferred sticking to the old powder-filter combination. He changed the filter, throwing the one of the day before in the trash, and put a new one in with his favourite mocha. While the machine did its job, Chrom stretched with a small yawn and walked to his daughter’s room. He gently opened the door, and silently walked closer to Lucina’s bed. She was sleeping soundly, and he almost felt bad for waking her up. He sat on the edge of the bed and passed a hand on her cheek and hair. The little girl grabbed his wrist and hugged it, making him giggle. He bent over her and covered her face in tiny kisses.

 

“Good morning little princess.” He hummed, smiling.

 

            Lucina frowned weakly, before her eyes fluttered open. She was adorable when she was sleepy. Well, she was always adorable, but especially when she was sleepy. Chrom combed her hair again and she leaned into his hand with a cute yawn.

 

“Good morning…” She mumbled.

“Breakfast is ready.” Chrom spoke softly, kissing her forehead “Your chocolate is going to get cold if you don’t get out of bed.”

“Hug first.” The little girl muttered, opening her arms.

 

            Chrom obliged, and took her in his arms to give her a warm hug. She nuzzled in the crook of his neck, on the verge of falling asleep again. He smiled and carefully stood up to walk to her window. Holding his daughter with one arm, he opened the blinds with the other and left everything open to ventilate her room.

 

\--

 

            Robin and her son were in the garden at around half past ten. Chrom and Lucina joined them fifteen minutes later, and the young boy ran to her with a happy smile.

 

“Good morning Lucina!!” He chirped, already taking her hand “I didn’t know what kind of games you liked so I brought several.”

“Oh, okay.” She said as he pulled her away.

 

           Chrom chuckled and put his hands in his pockets as he walked to the bench Robin was sitting on. She was clad in a heavy black and purple coat, with a red scarf and matching gloves, her hair cascading down her shoulders, and obviously freezing on spot despite the good weather. He sat next to her.

 

“Good morning, Robin.” He greeted with a smile “I assume you’re cold?”

“Nice guess, Sherlock.” She giggled “Wait until you’ve spent twenty minutes sitting on that bench and you’ll quickly feel the same.”

“I believe you on this.”

 

            They looked at their children playing. Morgan was eager to show his friend how good he was at playing soccer, until Lucina managed to steal the ball from him and kept on dribbling around him. He complained, but quickly regained his composure and went after her with determination.

 

“Lucina seems good at sports.” Robin observed, putting her hands in her pockets.

Chrom nodded, a proud smile stretching his lips “She is. And surprisingly, it’s the only moment when she manages to mingle among the other kids. Usually she sticks with a couple of friends and that’s all. Apparently she’s great at handling a team, despite her shyness.”

“Morgan is not that much into sports.” She commented “He prefers reading books. Especially mine, even if he doesn’t understand them” she stretched with a chuckle “He just wants to do everything like me.”

“That’s adorable. His father must be jealous.”

“His father doesn’t know about him.”

 

            She had stated it like a simple truth, like a fact she had accepted years ago. There was no trace of pain on her face, nor anger. Chrom pinched his lips at his blunder. He had to find a way to make up for the mistake, and quickly.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s okay, don’t worry about this.” Robin said with a smile. Her brown eyes were shining peacefully, and it somehow convinced him.

He gave up after a second “…Alright.”

“My boyfriend left when I got pregnant.” She explained with a shrug “I didn’t want to have an abortion, and he didn’t want a child. It was either Morgan or him.”

“When I look at your son, I’m pretty sure you made the right decision.” Chrom ventured.

“I agree.” She crossed her legs and turned to him “What about you? You’re always the one who brings Lucina to school, I haven’t seen your wife yet. I’m curious.”

“Actually, we got divorced when Luci was two. We were still living in Ylisstol so she would see us both equally, but I decided to move out this summer, you know…” he made a vague gesture with his hand “to start anew? Something like that.”

Robin scratched her neck “Oh, sorry…”

“We’re still in good terms, and that’s the most important to me. I don’t want my daughter to see her parents fighting, and at least my ex-wife agrees with me on that point.” Chrom nodded to himself, before looking at her “So we’re both single parents, aren’t we? At least we have that in common.”

“What, you thought we had nothing in common?” Robin snorted.

 

            Before he could answer, she glanced at Morgan and told him something in a foreign language. The boy pouted, and zipped his coat up before focusing back on his game. Chrom lifted an eyebrow, trying to understand what the woman had said; if he recalled well his middle school classes, she had spoken Plegian.

 

“You speak Plegian?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

“I’m Plegian actually.” Robin explained with a smile, rubbing her hands together in attempt to warm them “I moved to Ylisse with my mother when I was five, so I speak Plegian and Ylissean. Although I hardly ever go there, I still want Morgan to know at least the basics.”

“I couldn’t have guessed. You have no accent.” Chrom chuckled.

“I was young enough to get the Ylissean accent, but my mother still has a strong Plegian one. I think it’s adorable.” She said, her smile growing larger.

 

Her mother’s accent was not the only thing adorable, he thought.

 


	2. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A neighbour, uh?” Lissa teased “Just a neighbour?”
> 
> Chrom felt his cheeks turn hot “Yes, just a neighbour.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the feedback! I never thought so many people would be interested in this, actually. So here I am, with a second chapter!

            If there was something Robin loved, it was how her son’s eyes would shine in wonder every time Christmas came around. He probably had inherited it from her, this love for the festive atmosphere December brought without fail. She recalled that as a child – and even now – she always felt excited when the first Christmas lights were installed in the streets of Themis, shining everywhere and making her forget how cold her hands were.

She did not live in Themis anymore, but the excitement was the same. The reflection of the lights in Morgan’s eyes was just the icing on the cake. She smiled warmly at her son, too busy admiring the huge Christmas tree standing proudly the centre of the mall to notice her.

 

“Morgan, we’re going to be late.” She said in Plegian, with a gentle voice.

“Yes, Mom.” He replied as he took her hand. He did not tear his eyes away from the tree as they started walking again.

 

            She had done her best to make him believe in Santa Claus, but Morgan being Morgan, he hadn’t needed long to understand that it was not physically possible to visit all the houses of the world in one single night, even with the time zones. He believed in magic in some way, and was totally okay with the fact that his sleigh could fly, but not that he would manage to give every household their presents in such a short amount of time. What had finally convinced him was that only certain children would get presents but not others, depending if their parents believed in Naga, Grima, any other god or simply none. Robin had given up and admitted that yes, Santa Claus did not exist, but it was a secret he had to keep from his friends.

Well, at least she didn’t have to worry about finding someone to look after him while she was doing Christmas shopping anymore.

 

“So, do you have an idea of what we could get grandma for Christmas?” She asked, looking at him tenderly.

“A music box!” He chirped happily.

“A music box? That’s original, where did you get this idea?”

“My teacher brought one to school the other day, I really liked the sound.”

“Let’s find one then, it will be her present from you.”

 

            He smiled brightly at her, a vision she found even more adorable with his missing front tooth.

Despite the fact Christmas shopping was a tiring activity in itself, Morgan did not complain once, he only asked her to go to the toilets a couple of times, but apart from that, she realised how truly blessed she was to have a well-behaved child. He had hesitated a while when they found music boxes, not knowing which melody to pick. She made some suggestions but let him decide in the end, and he went for _Für Elise_ , a classic but of good taste. Maybe she would bring him to symphony concerts once he was a bit older.

She bought him a well-deserved waffle when they took a break from their shopping. She sat on a bench, watching him as he paced up and down in front of her, thinking out loud about various things. She was impressed by all the things that went on in his head at once. He did not notice he was about to bump into someone, and Robin did not have the time to warn him before it was too late. Morgan yelped in surprise as he fell to the ground and dropped the rest of his waffle in the process.

 

“Morgan, are you okay?” Robin asked worriedly as she stood up.

“Oh, Morgan! I hope I didn’t hurt you.” The person he had bumped into said.

 

            Morgan lifted his eyes and recognised Chrom, Lucina’s father. He blinked, a bit stunned, as the man helped him back on his feet and dusted his coat, before ruffling his hair gently. He smiled at Robin as he stood back up.

 

“Hello, Robin. Nice to see you there.” He greeted with one of his charming smiles.

“Oh, hi Chrom.” She replied, ignoring the weird tickling she felt in her stomach “Christmas shopping, I assume?”

“Exactly!” He chuckled, before focusing back on her son “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Morgan shook his head “I’m not.” He bent down to pick up his waffle and showed it to Robin “What do I do with it, Mom?”

“Go throw it in the bin over there.” She advised as she pointed at the one a few meters ahead. The boy obeyed with a nod.

“Let me buy him another one.” Chrom offered.

She waved her hands “No, it’s okay, really. Don’t bother.”

“Please, I insist.”

 

            Robin pinched her lips. Gods, she was _really_ feeling weak against that smile. How old was she, fifteen? Thankfully, Morgan came back and distracted her from her thoughts.

 

“Lucina is not with you?” He asked, a bit disappointed.

“Unfortunately not.” Chrom admitted “I’m going to, uh-“

“To buy her presents?” He finished, tilting his head to the side.

 

Chrom gave Robin a puzzled look and she shook her head with a smile.

 

“He doesn’t believe in Santa, don’t worry.”

“Oh. Then yes, I’m going to buy her presents. Are you done with yours?” He inquired.

“Almost. I just need to buy a couple of chocolates for my colleagues and we’ll be done for the day. I’ll come back for his another day.” Robin explained as she patted her son’s shoulder.

“Well, since I’m there, I can keep an eye on him while you buy his presents, so you won’t have to come back.” Chrom offered “And he’ll have the time to eat another waffle.”

“Another waffle?” Morgan chirped as he looked at his mother.

“Fine.” She sighed, although she could not get rid of the smile growing on her lips.

 

\--

 

            Chrom was really impressed by Morgan’s endless curiosity. The little boy kept on asking him questions about various subjects. He had first asked about Lucina; her birthday, the colors she liked, her favourite Disney movie, the days she was going to her mother’s place. Then the conversation had moved to Chrom’s job. It was with stars in his eyes that the boy had asked him if he had arrested mean guys before, if he had solved mysteries and saved people, how long it took to send a criminal to prison, and countless other questions. Some of them were probably too elaborate for a child of his age, yet he seemed to understand just fine. Lucina was just as curious, but she did not ask questions often, she preferred relying on books to find the answers she wanted.

 

            His mother came back half an hour later, a bit out of breath from the little improvised jog she just did, carrying bags in each hand. Her hair bounced with each step she made.

 

“I did as fast as I could!” She apologised as she set the bags at her feet, putting her hands on her hips to catch her breath.

“Don’t worry, we’re fine.” Chrom smiled.

“Has Morgan been good?” She asked, eyeing her son.

“I have!”

“Yes, he has. Don’t worry.” The man giggled.

 

            She apologised again for wasting his time, but Chrom insisted that he was fine. He had fun while chatting with Morgan, so it did not bother him in the slightest to keep an eye on the child. They chatted for a few more minutes, until they decided to part ways, and bid each other goodbye with a happy wave of the hand. Once in the car, Robin looked at her son through the rear-view mirror and smiled.

 

“I bought a present for Lucina for Christmas.” She announced.

His eyes lit up and he leaned closer, trying to sneak his head between the front seats “Oh! Really?? What did you get her??”

“I bought her a book about dragons. I thought she’d like it, since her plushie looked like one.” She explained.

“Chrom told me that she loves dragons!!” He chirped.

“Really? It’s good then.”

“Did you get Chrom a present too?”

 

Her face fell and her eyes widened.

How could she have forgotten about it?

 

\--

 

“Hello, little miss. May I inquire your name?” The stewardess said with a polite smile.

Lucina stared at her lips, amazed by the redness of her lipstick “Lucina Exalt.” She replied nonetheless.

“Here are her papers.” Chrom said while handing the woman her plane ticket and her ID card.

She took a look at them, then smiled at him “Perfect. Well, since everything’s in order, I’ll let you say your goodbyes while we wait for the other children.”

“Thank you.”

 

            Lucina squeezed her father’s hand, and he knelt next to her. He cupped her cheek with a hand, while putting the other on her shoulder. Since they had moved out of Ylisstol, it was the second time she had taken the plane alone back to the capital to see her mother. Well, not totally alone since she was under the watch of the air hostess until Gaius picked her up at the airport. But she was still not used to it, and that could easily be understandable. He arranged the collar of her blue coat and brushed her bangs aside.

 

“Be good with Mom, okay sweetie?” He said with a tender voice.

“Yes, Dad.” She replied with a weak nod.

“Come here.” He added, opening his arms wide.

 

            He did not need to ask twice, and the little girl threw herself in his arms to hug him tightly, hiding in the crook of his neck. He hugged her back, rubbing a hand along her back in a vague attempt to soothe her. The flight was just an hour and a half long; she would be fine.

 

“Dad?” She whispered against his skin.

“Yes, Luci?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

He looked at her and peppered her face in kisses until she started giggling. He assured her she would be fine, and that she would probably even make friends during the flight – something he actually did not believe in, given her shy character, but he kept the thought to himself – so that she wouldn’t even notice the time. If she wasn’t feeling well, she just had to take Tiki in her bag and hold her tight. He had slept with the stuffed dragon a couple of days before the flight, so his smell would remain on it to ease her if needed. It was something he used to do when she was still a baby, but even now she was eight years old, he still did it at her request. He advised her to be nice and caring with her mother, since her current state required special attention. The stewardess made a silent gesture at him to indicate they were going to leave soon.

 

“Have fun at Mom’s place, and be nice to Gaius, okay?” Chrom said with a last kiss on his daughter’s cheek.

“Yes Dad.” She replied with a barely noticeable smile.

He poked her ribs until she giggled again “Don’t forget to smile! Smiles make people happy, remember?”

“I remember!” She assured, her grin growing larger.

“Ah, I prefer this!” he hugged her once last time then stood up “Have a Merry Christmas, Lucina. Don’t forget to call me from time to time. Now go, the air hostess is waiting for you.”

“I will. Goodbye Dad.” She smiled one more time at him, then turned around and walked to the lady with red lipstick.

 

            Chrom watched them as the woman checked if everyone was there. He saw his daughter glance at him one last time, and just when the little group was about to leave, she ran back to him, hugged him tight and pressing her face against his stomach, then left as fast as she had come. He felt his chest tighten a bit; he missed her already, and she was not even out of his sight yet.

 

He waited until her plane took off to pull his phone out of his jeans pocket and dialled his ex-wife’s number. She picked up quite quickly.

 

_“Hi.”_

“Hi, Sumia. I just wanted to say that Luci’s in the plane right now.”

_“Oh, great. We’ll be waiting for her at the airport then. Is there anything specific you wanted to say? She hasn’t been sick recently, has she?”_

“She hasn’t, don’t worry.” He checked both sides of the road as he crossed it to walk back to the parking lot “The weather is actually warmer in the south, so we haven’t had temperatures as cold as yours. But I put warm clothing in her suitcase, just in case.”

_“Understood. Well, I’ll let you go back then. I’ll keep you updated.”_

“Okay. Merry Christmas, Sumia.”

_“Merry Christmas, Chrom.”_

\--

 

            Robin whispered her check-list under her breath as she counted the suitcases in the trunk of her car. Clothing, check. Presents, check. Food, check. Books, check. Morgan’s homework, check. Morgan, check. With a satisfied nod, she closed the trunk and knocked on her son’s window. He opened the door.

 

“Yes, Mom?”

“Weren’t you supposed to give your present to Lucina?” She asked.

 

            The little boy gasped and undid his seatbelt. Robin laughed as he jumped out of the car, and ran around it to grab the paper bag they had put on the front passenger seat. She asked him to wait for her while she closed the car, and both walked to building E. Morgan insisted on ringing the bell himself, and she let him do. They waited a few seconds before the intercom turned on.

 

_“Yes?”_

“Hi Chrom, is Lucina here??” Morgan blurted out a bit too enthusiastically.

“He can’t see you, sweetheart, you have to say who you are first.” Robin commented.

“Oh, right. Hi Chrom! It’s Morgan, is Lucina here??” The boy repeated.

“We had a little Christmas present for her.” Robin clarified.

_“Oh, that’s so nice of you! Wait a second, I’m coming down!”_

 

He hung up and Robin smiled at her son, who returned it brightly, clutching the bag against his chest happily. In less than a minute, Chrom opened the door of the building. He looked a bit dishevelled, wearing grey sweatpants with a blue hoodie, and clearly clashed with his usual style. He had even forgotten to put shoes on.

 

“Hi!” He said with a huge smile “I didn’t think you’d show up, you quite caught me by surprise.”

“My apologies” Robin mumbled, scratching her neck “We were about to leave for Themis for the holidays, so we thought it would be better if we dropped by before we go.”

“Lucina is not with you?” Morgan asked, bending to check if his friend was hiding behind her father.

“Unfortunately not.” Chrom said, shaking his head “But I can put the present in her room, so she can see it right away when she comes back. I dropped her at the airport yesterday, she’s spending Christmas with her mother.”

The boy smiled brightly “Okay!” He looked for something in his paper bag and handed it to his mother, than held the bag out to him “There it is! Can you wish her a Merry Christmas for me?”

“Of course.” He glanced at the package in Robin’s hands, then at her warm chocolate eyes, maybe a bit too expectantly.

She gasped faintly and handed it to him “Ah, and this is from me. To you I mean, haha. Lucina’s present is from us both.”

 

Gods, what was she saying?

 

Chrom blinked and took it from her hands “Oh. Thank you.” He gave her a sorry look “I apologise, I did not think about getting you both presents.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Robin said with a wave of the hand.

“Open it!” Morgan said excitedly.

 

The man obliged and unwrapped the paper, revealing a box of various types of chocolates. And given the name of the brand and the packaging, they sure weren’t low-cost sweets. He smiled brightly at her.

 

“Thank you, Robin. That’s very nice of you.”

“I didn’t know what kind of chocolate you might like, so I chose a box with different flavours.” She explained.

“Oh, you know, I’m not very picky when it comes to food!” He laughed. He opened the box and ate one randomly “They’re excellent. Here, take one.” He handed one to her, and another one to Morgan who squealed in happiness.

 

            She thanked him and ate it, although a bit reluctantly. It was not that she didn’t like chocolate, not at all; she just felt a bit bad that he actually shared with them when they were supposed to be his. Morgan thanked him and pulled on his mother’s sleeve.

 

“Mom, Grandma’s going to wait for us.”

She snapped back to reality “Oh, right! We’ve got quite a long drive to Themis. We should go. Goodbye Chrom.”

She took her son’s hand, and he waved at him with the other as they started walking away “Bye Chrom!!”

 

            Robin did not look back at the building as she walked – a bit too fast – back to the car. Her son got in and clasped his seat belt, while she sat behind the wheel and let her head fall on it, although not too harshly so she wouldn’t accidentally honk. The little boy tilted his head to the side.

 

“Mom? Are you okay?” He asked in Plegian.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

 

Gods, she needed to get a grip.

 

\--

 

“Uncle Chrom!”

“Come here, little monster!!”

 

Owain burst into laughter as he threw himself in his uncle’s arms, who lifted him as high as he could with a loud roar. He had not even finished stepping inside that his nephew was already all over him, asking him about his heroic policeman accomplishments. He kicked the door closed with his foot, holding the child on his left hip and his bag with the right hand, starting to answer his endless questions. The sound of his sister’s heels on the tiled floor came closer, and she crossed her arms with a frown as she stood in front of them.

 

“Owain, what did I say about Uncle Chrom?” She scolded him.

“To not bother him…” The boy mumbled in shame.

“Come on Lissa, it’s Christmas! Let the boy be excited!” Chrom laughed and kissed his sister on the forehead. He eyed her from head to toe, examining her pale yellow lacy dress “You look beautiful tonight.”

She smiled “Thanks, Chrom.” She took her son back in her arms to put him down carefully “And you, stop running around! You’re going to fall.”

 

            The boy disappeared as soon as he had come with a laugh, and she sighed loudly, putting a hand on her hip. Owain was adorable; he just had too much energy. The only moments when he would stop moving about were when he was asleep. The rest of the time, he was a little tornado. The exact opposite of his cousin. Chrom patted her shoulder and went to the living room to put his bag next to the couch, then made his way to the kitchen. Emmeryn, his elder sister, was busy peeling potatoes, her blond curls gathered into a low ponytail to not bother her while cooking, while his brother-in-law tried his best to not cry as he chopped onions, the sleeves of his sky blue shirt rolled neatly to his elbows.

 

“Good evening, Ricken.” He greeted as he walked to his sister to kiss her temple “Good evening, Emm.”

“Hello, Chrom.” She replied without looking at him, although she smiled and leaned into the tender gesture.

Ricken blinked several times, looking at the ceiling to prevent tears from rolling down his face, and sniffed “Hi Chrom. I’m sorry I can’t greet you properly, I’m a bit busy half-crying right now.”

“It’s okay.” The man giggled “Do you guys need help?”

“Can you help me set the table?” Lissa asked as she opened a cupboard above the sink.

 

            It was a tradition for the Exalt siblings to spend their Christmas Eve together. Even when Chrom was still married, Sumia always came along for the mandatory December 24th dinner. What they would do the following morning depended on the years, but they never missed that date, since it was exactly between Emmeryn’s birthday and Christmas itself. The eldest sibling lived alone in their late parents’ house, even if it was too big for a single person; it had been an evidence – when their mother passed away a few years before – that none of them would resign themselves to selling it. They had too many memories within that house to simply leave it to a perfect stranger.

Chrom couldn’t say if Emmeryn was single. It was a weird thing to admit, since they had always been close, but he couldn’t exactly pinpoint the relationship she had neither with Frederick nor with Phila, her childhood friends. When he was thinking there might be something going on with the former, there were always hints that suggested that the latter might be involved instead. This had been going on for years, and he had even taken bets with Lissa. Whenever they would visit, they always expectantly waited for someone else than Emm to open the door. It never happened.

 

            Lissa, on the other hand, had met Ricken pretty early. They had been in the same class during their high school years, and their relationship had developed slowly – _way too slowly_ in Chrom’s opinion – throughout their science classes. Ricken wanted to become a laboratory assistant, Lissa wanted to study medicine, so they always paired up during assignments and experiments. Watching his sister’s crush on the oblivious boy grow week by week had been hilarious, and both he and Emmeryn always looked forward to dinner on Thursday nights so they could get their weekly update on the soap-opera. Tired of dropping hints and flirting openly with him without him noticing it, Lissa had one day taken drastic measures and cornered him in the lab after class to make out with him, during their third year. She had spent her entire dinner pacing up and down in front of the table that night, reflecting on her life and pulling on her hair because she had done _the most stupid thing of her entire existence_ , and Chrom had to bit his lower lip until it hurt to not burst into laughter while he and his older sister watched her do. Luckily for her, Ricken had asked her out the following day, saving her from an entire week of overthinking.

After that, they had decided to settle in together for their studies – Lissa gave up on becoming a paediatrician and chose to be a nurse instead – even if they did not attend the same university. One thing leading to another, they had stayed together, finished their studies, found a job, and had Owain, who was now five years old.

 

            Chrom put the plates on the table, while Lissa took care of the glasses and knives. Owain wanted to help, so he walked behind his mother and put the forks next to the blue-rimmed dishes as if it was the most important task he had ever been entrusted with. Two large logs were burning in the fireplace, warming the room and giving it a cosy atmosphere, the Christmas tree not far – just enough to not catch fire like it did once – and scented candles were lit everywhere. Chrom smiled. It really felt like Christmas. He was a bit sad that Lucina was not there, but he kept the thought to himself.

 

\--

 

Lissa lifted an eyebrow as she put down her glass of wine, eyeing the fancy chocolate box Chrom had just put in the middle of the table, the dim light of the creaking fire being the only light in the room now. They had just finished dessert, so she had not expected her brother to bring chocolates. Something was odd.

 

“I didn’t know you liked those chocolates.” She commented as she opened the box “And I can see you didn’t even wait for us.” She snorted.

“Actually, one of my neighbours gave this to me for Christmas.” He said, scratching his neck.

Emmeryn rested her chin on her hand as she picked one of the chocolates and ate it “Well, they really went overboard. This brand is one of the most expensive I know.”

“Oh, uh… Really?”

 

Both sisters glanced at each other, then back at him. Given Lissa’s smirk and Emm’s mischievous eyes, he knew he was doomed.

 

“A neighbour, uh?” Lissa teased “Just a neighbour?”

Chrom felt his cheeks turn hot “Yes, just a neighbour.”

“How come they gave you those?” Emmeryn asked.

“Her son is a friend of Lucina’s, nothing more.” He defended himself.

“Uhuh.” Lissa let out, drinking her wine again.

“Let me translate: we’re not convinced.” Emmeryn explained.

Chrom sighed “I promise there’s nothing going on. Our children hang out together, we chatted a couple of times, and that’s it.”

“I guess her husband wouldn’t approve that much anyway.” Lissa mumbled to herself.

“She’s single.”

 

Chrom regretted his words instantly as both his sisters froze, then gave him a suggestive look. He waved his hands in embarrassment.

 

“I-I mean, Morgan’s father left when she was pregnant, so she’s most likely single.”

“I hope you gave her something in return?” Emmeryn said expectantly.

“I offered her one of the chocolates?” he ventured.

Lissa rolled her eyes with a groan “I swear to the gods, Chrom, sometimes I wonder how you even managed to get a wife in the first place. I’ll help you find her something.”

“Do you know what she likes?” Ricken asked from the couch facing the hearthplace, Owain sound asleep next to him with his head resting on his lap.

“She told me she reads a lot.” He recalled.

His brother-in-law pouted faintly “Well, with books it’s double or quits. If you’re lucky she hasn’t read it, if you’re not she has three copies in her shelf already.”

“Is she pretty??” Lissa inquired, her eyes shining faintly. Since Chrom had divorced six years before, he had not dated anyone. Not even had a crush or a one night stand. She was glad things got a bit spicy for once.

“Uh, yes. She is.” He admitted.

“Come on, tell us more!”

“Fine fine. Uh, she’s a bit smaller than me, with long straight hair and brown eyes. Her name is Robin, by the way. She’s a human resources director – I can’t remember the place though – and she’s Plegian also.”

“I thought you sucked at speaking Plegian?” Lissa commented.

“She moved to Ylisse when she was a child so she speaks Ylissean fluently.”

“What about her son? Is he nice to Lucina?” Emmeryn inquired worriedly.

Chrom smiled “He is. That boy is an angel. He’s super curious about a lot of things and very lively. Can you imagine that he manages to get Luci to tell jokes?”

“Wow, a miracle indeed.” Ricken giggled.

 

\--

 

“Mom!! Mom, it’s snowing!!”

 

Morgan barged into the kitchen, where his mother and grandmother were, cleaning the dishes and chatting together. Robin turned to her son and smiled at his beaming face.

 

“Is it, honey?”

“Look, look!”

 

He grabbed her hand and his grandmother’s, and pulled them to the window of the living room. Indeed, it had started snowing. The snowflakes were not very big in the cold winter night, tough. If they were lucky, it would hold until the following morning. The boy bounced happily and ran back to the couch where he had been sitting and watching Brave while waiting for midnight to strike, and by extension open his presents.

 

“It’s nice.” Robin’s mother commented with a smile “I haven’t seen the snow in a while.”

“It’s not like you have grown up with it either.” Robin chuckled.

“You’re right.” The woman said with a small giggle.

 

            They always spoke Plegian together, for it was easier for her mother and a way for her to practice her speaking. And it also helped Morgan learn new vocabulary. He asked the meaning of new words at least five times a day, slowly but surely building his knowledge about the Plegian language. Robin knew that sometimes children did not want to learn their parents’ mother tongues, since they knew they could understand the one of the country they lived in as well; but fortunately, her son seemed eager to learn. Sometimes, he asked her to change the language when he wanted to watch a DVD and set it in Plegian, which was the case for Brave at this very moment.

 

“He reminds me of you when you were a child.” Robin’s mother commented.

“Does he?” She asked while looking at her son, who was sitting cross legged on the leather couch and resumed watching the movie.

“Yes, you’ve always been curious about the world like him. And you’ve always liked snow as well. I’m glad we moved to Ylisse, imagine if we had stayed in Plegia? You wouldn’t have known anything besides the desert sand.” She chuckled.

Robin smiled “Indeed!”

 

Morgana brushed a strand of her daughter’s hair behind her ear, and cupped her face gently.

 

“You seem more lively, Robin.” She said.

“Really? I didn’t know I was looking sad.” She replied with a sorry smile.

“You weren’t looking sad, you just…” She stared at her face, her brown eyes piercing through her daughter’s expression “I don’t know. As if something changed for the better recently. Is it the case?”

“Not really?” she shrugged “Everything’s still the same, nothing new happened.”

“Who was the girl Morgan kept on talking about earlier?”

“Lucina? She’s our neighbour’s daughter.”

 

A light sparkled in her mother’s eyes and a smile stretched her lips.

 

“Here it is.”

“Uh?” Robin blinked.

“That’s what makes you look different.”

She gave her a puzzled look “Mom, you’re talking nonsense right now.”

“I don’t know why, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to hear about that neighbour often…” Morgana trailed off as she walked back to the kitchen.

Robin followed her, totally confused, as the woman laughed “Mom? Mom, what are you talking about?”

 

\--

 

            She peeked left, then right, and upon noticing the coast was clear, Lucina tiptoed her way to the living room. The house was silent, except for the clock ticking on the wall, next to her target: the Christmas tree. She gasped happily when she saw the pile of presents under the tree, of all colors and sizes, waiting for her.

She had not taken five steps that strong arms lifted her as she yelped in surprise.

 

“What do you think you’re doing~?” her stepfather said while tickling her neck with a hand.

“Gaius, stop!” She squeaked between two laughs, struggling to escape his hold.

“This is the punishment thieves get for trying to open up their presents before everyone is up.” He teased, tickling her harder.

“Gaius, be careful with Lucina please.” Sumia advised as she entered the room.

The little girl scrambled her way to the man’s shoulder and he shifted so she would not fall as she slumped on it “Good morning, Mom! It’s Christmas!!!”

Her mother giggled and came closer to kiss her forehead “It its. Merry Christmas, Lucina.”

 

            Gaius let her go and she scampered to the tree and knelt in front of the pile of presents, not knowing which one she should pick up first. He pulled a chair nearby and helped his companion sit on it by holding her hand, before kissing her curly hair lovingly.

            She only saw her daughter during the holidays, and she realised how much she grew every time her father sent her back. She had also noticed that she seemed to open up a bit more easily now, sharing her thoughts more willingly than before, and _wow_ , she had even cracked a joke a couple of days before, to their complete disbelief. If at first she was not totally in favour of Chrom leaving the capital, now she realised the good it actually did to Lucina. She felt a slight heartache and frowned ever so faintly, and Gaius’ warm hand grasped her shoulder. She glanced at him, but he pretended to focus on the little girl who messily arranged her blue hair before opening another present.

 

“You’re not opening your presents?” Lucina ended up asking, turning around to look at them.

Sumia waved her hand with a warm smile “Do it first, sweetheart. We’ll open ours after breakfast.”

 

She noticed her daughter’s glance drop to the tiny bump of her stomach. The little girl stood up, smoothed her multicoloured polka-dotted onesie, and walked to her. She knelt and wrapped her arms around her mother’s stomach, then rubbed her face on it before kissing it.

 

“Next year, you’ll open your presents with me.” She whispered, as if she was sharing a secret.

Gaius laughed and ruffled the little girl’s hair, making her pout “The baby’s going to be a bit too young to open their present themselves, you know?”

“Pfff.” She let out, visibly annoyed.

 

            They had announced that Sumia was pregnant the day she had arrived. She was very anxious, for she couldn’t predict Lucina’s reaction to the news; would she be happy? Angry? Would she feel rejected? To her relief, she had seemed to accept the pregnancy quite well, and even showed her disappointment when she realised that her belly was not round yet. She was in her fourth month, so it did not show that much yet.

            Lucina had taken some time to accept Gaius at first. Not that she disliked him, actually; she had been just a bit intimidated by his easy-going and laid back personality, although she knew he was a nice person. He did not treat her like his own daughter, but cared about her just the same, and after a few months of patience she had started opening up to her stepfather. And now, they were almost inseparable.

Sumia ran a hand in Lucina’s hair, and kissed her forehead once she got her attention. She whispered loving words against her skin, that she returned with a soft voice.

 

Gaius brushed his hand on his companion’s cheek.

 

“I’m going to make pancakes for breakfast, does that sound good?” he asked.

“Pancakes!” Lucina chirped, suddenly lifting turning to him.

“Do you want to give me a hand?”

“Can I??”

“Of course, come here.” He said, holding his hand out to her. She grabbed it and followed him to the kitchen, bouncing happily by his side.

 

Sumia’s eyes fell back on the half-opened presents.

Lucina was growing up, and she barely saw any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have read chapter 11 of The Drift, you might start to recognize a pattern concerning Lissa and Ricken's relationship... *smirks*


	3. The Wallet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrom crossed his arms on the table and looked at her. Rather intensely, if she had to be honest. He seemed to be scrutinising her, looking at every detail of her face, as if he was looking for something in her expression. She felt her cheeks warm up under his focused gaze and she shuffled awkwardly on her seat. Gods, why did he have to stare at her the only day in her life she did not have the time to put make-up on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My posting schedule is rather messy, but I have to warn you that I have a thesis to write by the end of May so I will most likely put my fics aside for a month or so.
> 
> I'll talk a bit about Chrom's divorce in this chapter, but since my parents have been married for 25 years (I turned 22 two days ago, that says a lot) I hope there is some accuracy 1) in Lucina's reaction 2) in Robin's reaction. In the French law, children can chose which parent they want to live with starting from the age of 13 (if I got it right...).  
> Don't hesitate to comment here or shoot me a message on tumblr! -> http://trcelyneart.tumblr.com/
> 
> Also!! I tend to keep Robin and Morgan's hairstyle descriptions neutral for two reasons. For Robin, it's because I'm not necessarily fond of her default hair. Mine has auburn hair with the long thick ponytail from build 3 (the one I'm using in The Drift), and since I imagine her like that even when the fic explicitly mentions that she has the default haircut/color I decided to let it to everyone's imaginations. For Morgan, it's because I haven't decided who his father is yet (gotta plan this fic a little more, heh)

            Chrom turned the TV off and stretched with a loud yawn. He let his arms fall to his sides and lazily stood up, before tottering towards his bedroom and turning all the lights of the apartment off in the process. A faint light coming from his daughter’s room through the ajar door caught his attention, and he frowned as he stopped walking. Lucina knew she was forbidden to go to bed past 9PM, and midnight had already stricken. With an exasperated sigh, he opened the door, ready to scold her for staying up late.

He stopped right in his tracks when he saw her, leaning against her pillow on the headboard of her bed, her head tilted backwards and her mouth slightly open, sleeping soundly. Morgan’s book was left open on her lap, her little hands barely holding it anymore. Chrom smiled.

Since she had opened the young boy’s present when she had come back from Ylisstol, it was her third time reading it. He had rarely seen her this happy after opening a present – and Naga knew she loved getting presents – and somehow, he felt relieved that she was. He knew it had been hard for her to move out of Ylisstol, leaving her friends and comfortable life behind to follow him, to start anew in a town and school she didn’t know about.

 

_“Lucina?”_

_“Yes Mom?”_

_Her mother gestured to the couch, inviting her to sit down. Chrom stood in the hallway of his ex-wife’s new apartment, taking his jacket off as their daughter obliged. Gaius was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, out of their sight but within hearing range. Given the puzzled look on her face, her father knew that she had understood that something was up. Both sat next to the little girl, Sumia to her left, Chrom to her right._

_Lucina gave him a worried look. A terrified one, even. She didn’t know what they were going to say, but it didn’t sound like good news. He put his hand on her leg reassuringly, smiling at her._

_“What’s wrong…?” She asked, barely daring to pronounce the words._

_“Mom and I have something to tell you.” Chrom started, then looked at Sumia “How do we proceed?”_

_“You tell her, it’s your decision.” She said with an encouraging nod._

_He cleared his throat “Well, okay, so, uh…” He looked back at Lucina, who wrapped her little hands around his wrist, as if to support him and calm herself down at the same time, bracing herself for the upcoming storm “I… I have decided to leave Ylisstol.”_

 

Lucina frowned in her sleep, mumbling something, and Chrom snapped back to reality. He walked in, took the book from her hands and closed it to leave it on her bedside table. He put a knee on the edge of the bed, slipped his arms under her and made her lie back down. She stirred and barely opened her eyes, sleep still fogging her thoughts. He kissed her forehead as he arranged the grey and blue pillow under her.

 

“Go back to sleep, Princess.” He whispered lovingly.

“Goodnight Dad…” she mumbled, drifting into the arms of Morpheus again.

 

            He arranged the blankets on her shoulders, turned the bedside lamp off, and left the room in silence.

 

Falling asleep ended up being a hard task.

 

Now he had recalled how he had announced that he was leaving, he felt guilty. Sometimes Lucina was hard to read, the child keeping her deepest emotions hidden somewhere to not worry anyone. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly if she was happy or not with her new life.

 

            _Lucina’s eyes instantly got teary, and she did not try to stop them as they started rolling down her cheeks._

_“W-what?” She said, her voice high-pitched._

_“Nonono baby don’t cry.” Chrom replied in panic, pulling her into a hug. She started sobbing, muffling her cries in his shirt, and he looked at Sumia in search for help._

_“Lucina, please listen to us.” She intervened, rubbing their daughter’s back softly._

_The little girl shook her head and held onto her father tighter “No! I don’t want you to leave!!”_

_They needed a good five minutes to calm her down and convince her to listen to them. They somehow managed to coax her into leaning against the couch, snuggling against Sumia and Chrom kneeling in front of them, taking one of her hands in his. She stopped crying, but hiccupped silently every now and then, feeling tired now she had sobbed her heart out._

_“Why are you leaving?” She whined, and Chrom could see the look of betrayal she was giving him._

_He tried to keep his tone as reassuring and soft as possible “Living in Ylisstol is great, but I would like to live somewhere smaller. I have found another job and… sometimes, people like to see some change in their lives.”_

_“So I won’t see you ever again?” She asked, on the verge of bursting into tears again._

_Chrom leaned closer, speaking tenderly “Oooh, no baby, of course not. I will visit you from time to time, I promise.”_

_“Acutally…” Sumia completed, cupping Lucina’s cheek to make her look at her “Dad was thinking about bringing you with him.”_

 

            Chrom sat up with a grunt and rubbed his hands on his face. He was ruminating too much, the anxiety making him feel like the room was too small and the covers suffocating. Not bothering turning the light on, he fumbled his way along to the living room and opened the patio door. The cold air of the night made him shiver, but the feeling was not unwelcome, and he leaned against the white metallic guardrail of the balcony. A light ahead of him caught his attention; someone in the building facing his was still up, apparently, despite the very late hour. He could not make out anything, except for a vague silhouette sitting at a table in the distance. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

            Lucina had accepted to follow him, but to this day he never really understood why. He had asked her thinking that she would refuse to leave her mother and her life in the capital, but she had agreed to leave it all behind to only come back a couple of weeks every two months. Of course, the whole thing had to undergo the judge’s approval, but both Sumia and he had wanted to ask for her opinion first, even though she could not legally make the decision herself until she turned thirteen.

 

Gods, he was so worried about her.

 

            He opened his eyes and noticed that the neighbour had opened their patio door and was having a break on the balcony. From the silhouette, he concluded it was a woman, but he couldn’t be sure of it, for the building was kind of far from his. He smiled. He was sharing this moment with someone who didn’t even know he was there. For a second he considered turning the lights on to signal his presence, but he was too lazy to move, even with the cold starting to crawl its way up his extremities.

 

He enjoyed in silence the warm halo around that silhouette, in the silence of the night.

 

\--

 

            Shoelaces were a devilish invention. Who in the world thought that shoelaces were useful? Why didn’t everyone wear shoes with Velcro? It was way easier, way faster, and they didn’t dangle in the way when walking. Morgan gave up with an exasperated groan and sat up on the couch. It was official, he hated shoelaces.

 

            He gave a look at the clock on the wall. He still had troubles reading the time properly, but he knew that if the long hand had reached the 7, they were going to be late. It was still on the 5. He kicked his shoes off with a grunt and walked to his mother’s bedroom, opening the door just enough to poke his head through it.

 

“Mom?” He ventured.

 

A groan came from under the covers, indicating that she was somehow listening.

 

“You have to wake up, we’re going to be late for the bus. And I’m hungry.” He said.

“Are you dressed?” She mumbled, lazily rolling over to face him, although she could not see anything with the backlight. The fact her eyes were half closed did not help either.

“Yes.”

“Bag ready?”

“Yes.”

“Morning snack ready?”

“Yes. I can’t put my shoes on, though. Can you help me?”

Robin yawned loudly and rubbed her hand on her face “Sure, give me a minute....”

 

She actually needed five to get out of bed, but seeing the clock in the living room made her gasp and rush to get prepared. She quickly threw a coffee pod in the coffee maker and turned it on, walked around the kitchen to get Morgan’s hot chocolate ready, set the coffee going, served her son and gave him his cereals, kissed him on the forehead, ran back to her room, got dressed, and finally came back to the kitchen, slouching on the chair next to him with a sigh of relief and her coffee in hand.

 

“It’s rare when you get up late.” He remarked.

“I went to bed late last night.” She ruffled his hair with a smile “That’s why you have to go to bed early! Otherwise you end up tired in the morning like me.”

“So I shouldn’t follow your example and do as I want?” He joked with a giggle.

She pinched his cheek gently, and he laughed “Don’t tempt the devil, little one.”

 

\--

 

Gods, it was the worst timing _ever_.

 

For the first time in their lives, they met the Exalts at the residence gate. Chrom was always – _always_ – early, and she had never seen him leave the residence to go to the bus stop before. It was like they had always magically appeared there from nowhere. Morgan did not mind at all, for he let go of her hand and ran to them, opening his arms.

 

“Lucinaaa~!” He sang as he threw himself in her arms, causing her to take a few steps back to not lose balance.

The little girl let out a soft sound that was close to a chuckle and squeezed him back “Hello Morgan.”

“It’s quite a surprise to see you there” Robin told Chrom as she walked closer to him “I’ve never seen you this late.”

He laughed “I admit I overslept, which is rare coming from me!” He turned to the children and smiled, opening the gate and stepping aside “Kiddos! This way please, or we’re going to miss the bus!”

 

Both obeyed and walked out arm-in-arm – or more specifically, Morgan holding onto Lucina’s arm – and Robin gave him a small thanks as he let her pass. She was feeling a bit self conscious about her state; her hair barely gathered into a low ponytail, her make-up whisked away for the day, her clothes barely matching, and ugly bags under her eyes. He was supposed to have overslept, how come he looked so fresh-faced and his outfit as neat as ever? She mumbled something unintelligible, cursing him and the people like him who looked great first thing in the morning. It was unfair.

 

“Are you okay?” He asked, walking by her side and bending forward to have a look at her face “You look like you’re under the weather.”

“I’m mentally complaining.” She explained, pulling her scarf up in a vain attempt to hide her face.

“Bad sleep?”

“More like mountain of paperwork.” She sighed “I stayed up until three in the morning.”

“So it was you…” He mumbled.

She looked at him and blinked “Uh? What do you mean?”

He smiled at her, and suddenly she felt like her day would be slightly better just thanks to it “I had a hard time sleeping last night, so I went to the balcony for fresh air and I saw the lights of an apartment in your building. I couldn’t say who it was, but since you were up, I guess it was you.”

“First floor, right side?”

“Yes.”

“It was me then.” She chuckled, although her cheeks turned red. It was rather embarrassing. She tried to hide it with an attempt at joking “So you observe your neighbours at night, huh? That’s borderline voyeurism.”

It was his turn to blush, a nervous laugh escaping his lips “Come on, don’t make me sound like a pervert!”

“Dad!! The bus is coming!!” Lucina said, pointing ahead of them. Indeed, the bus was at the end of the street.

“Oh, crap! We’ve got to go, see you later!” Chrom said, taking his daughter’s hand and quickly checking both sides of the road before crossing it.

 

Something slipped from his pocket and fell on the road, but Robin did not have the time to call him back. Father and daughter hopped in, and the bus left within seconds. Once it was gone and the coast clear – thanks Naga they lived in a rather quiet area, with not that much traffic – she asked Morgan to go to the bus stop while she went to pick what he had dropped. His wallet. A simple, black leather one. She quickly went through it as she walked back to the sidewalk and joined her son at the stop.

 

“He didn’t cross at the zebra crossing.” Morgan pointed out.

“He didn’t. He’s a bad policeman.” Robin said with a smile, still busy checking the wallet.

“What’s this, Mom?”

“Chrom dropped his wallet on the road, I’m just checking if there’s something that could help me- ah! There it is!” She pulled out a white card, a shining blue teardrop shaped pattern as its background – the emblem of Ylisse – with all the info she needed. Really, what kind of police officer kept his badge in his wallet? She smiled at her son and explained her plan “This card is his police badge. He uses it to prove he’s a real policeman. And there’s the police station he’s attached to written on it, so I can go there to give it back.”

“But we’re going to be late, I don’t want to miss school.” The child pouted.

“Of course, sweetie. Knowledge first! I’ll go there during my lunch break.”

 

\--

 

            She felt bad for going through his stuff. But hey, the best way to understand someone was to go through their wallet. For example, she guessed that Chrom liked to eat outside, given the amount of loyalty cards of pasta bars, kebabs, pizza trucks and such she found in it. No trace of credit card receipts meant he did his accounting regularly – or that he had done it recently – while the said credit card was tucked in a separate pouch with the name of his bank on it. There were also several pictures of Lucina at various ages, and one of him with a woman with ash brown curly hair. Most likely his ex-wife, for the shape of her eyes was the same as the little girl’s. They must not have been older than twenty in the picture. His driver’s licence – he apparently got it at the age of eighteen -, his social security card, his ID. Born on May 27th in Ylisstol, Ylissean, 1m82. And damn, _how on Earth_ did he manage to actually look good on the picture? Looking good even with a worn out sweater or dark circles under his eyes, that she could more or less understand. But it was _mandatory_ to look ugly on ID photos. She hated her showing her own ID or passport whenever she took the plane; she looked like she was possessed by some evil god despite all her attempts at taking a good picture.

 

“What is this, Robin?”

She lifted her head, cut in her thoughts, and set the wallet aside on her desk “Oh, nothing. Did you need anything, Stahl?”

The man lifted an eyebrow but did not comment. He waved a yellow binder in the air “Guess who’s got paperwork to do?”

“Noooo.” She whined, slouching on her desk with a pout “I’m the boss, I’m not the one who should be doing the paperwork.”

“Maybe, but we can’t copy your signature.” He teased.

 

She let out a whine of despair and he gently tapped her head with the binder, a smile on his lips.

 

“Come on, if you do it now it’ll be over before lunchtime!” he chirped.

“Lunch is pretty important to you only, you know?” She snorted, turning her head to breathe correctly, her left cheek resting against the cool wood of the desk “Ah, by the way…”

“Yes?”

“I might be late this afternoon. Have to go on an errand.”

“No problem.” He replied with a smile, then left her office.

 

Robin let out a long sigh as she sat back up, then glanced at the wallet, the binder, then the wallet again. Stahl was right, the quickest it was done, the quickest she would leave. She had to give the wallet back to its rightful owner, before he asked for his credit card to be blocked. Changing credit cards was a true pain, and she wanted to spare him the inconvenience. If at least she had his number to tell him…

 

            Robin felt her cheeks warm up. Why would she even ask for his phone number in the first place? It’s not like they were close, anyway. They had talked like, four times in a month? Nothing worth exchanging numbers.

 

            Only Naga knew how, but she managed to get rid of her task and left her office twenty minutes before lunchtime. She quickly caught a bus – she had checked which line was the closest to the station – and after half an hour of travelling, she finally reached her destination. She quickly untied her ponytail and did it again, a bit more properly this time, smoothed her purple trench-coat, and walked to the police station, which was at the end of the street.

            The man at the reception did not notice her right away, and she had to clear her throat to get his attention. He lifted his head, and sat up straight, running a hand through his messy blond hair.

 

“Good morning, Madam. Can I help you?” He asked with a polite smile. His welcoming attitude totally contrasted with the fact he looked like, well, a hands-on person. Why did they put the muscular guy at the reception?

“Does Officer Exalt work here?” She asked, leaning her crossed arms on the counter to smile at the policeman.

He lifted a curious eyebrow, and a spark of something she could not identify lit his eyes “He does, what is it for?”

“He dropped his wallet this morning, I came to give it back.”

The man gasped in relief “Oh, that’s cool! He spent the entire morning complaining about it. You just saved us.” He leaned back on his chair, keeping balance by putting his hands on his desk as he shouted “Hey, Princeling!! I got good news for you!! Come over!”

Chrom appeared from the corridor behind him a few seconds later, frowning “Vaike, how many times did I tell you to stop-“ his words died in his throat upon seeing Robin, smiling playfully at him “Robin? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to file a complaint against you, for giving my son a bad example by crossing the road without using the zebra lines.” She said very seriously, before bursting into laughter “I’m kidding. I came to return this.” She looked through her bag and fished out a wallet. _His_ wallet.

He walked to her and held his hand out to take it “You found it?”

She moved it out of his reach with a flip of the hand “Uhuh~, what do we say first, Officer _Chrom Marth Exalt_?”

He groaned and rolled his eyes, although he couldn’t help but smile “I can’t believe you went through my stuff. But thank you.”

“Well, I had to check if there was a way to give it back to you.” She said while handing him the wallet.

“You could have given it back tonight, you know?”

“I wanted to return it quickly, so you wouldn’t have to block your credit card.” She justified.

“Right.” He smiled more, tilting his head faintly to the side “Have you had lunch? My treat. As a way of thanking you.”

“I won’t say no to free food.” She giggled, putting a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear.

“Give me a minute then.”

 

            He quickly disappeared back into the corridor, and Vaike looked at her. Stared was a more accurate word, actually. He did his best to hold back his smirk, but she still managed to see the twitch of his lips. Then she understood; she was the brand new source of gossip. An unknown woman shows up and asks for Chrom, he seems to know her already, he invites her for lunch. Who wouldn’t be curious about this? She crossed her arms and gave him a playful smile. Let her be the source of gossip, then. It was fun.

 

“I’m back.” Chrom stated as he reappeared by Vaike’s counter desk. He had quickly changed back to his civilian clothes, a silver and night blue striped shirt with dark jeans and leather shoes, and was putting his black coat on “Is there someplace you want to go?”

“I hardly ever come to this part of the city, so I’ll let you pick.” She said with a wave of the hand and a smile “Although I don’t have a lot of time, so a snack-bar will be more than enough.”

“No problem.” He replied with his charming smile as he opened the door for her “After you.”

Robin turned to Vaike and waved at him “Bye!”

“See ya!” He replied with a thumb up “Oh, and Chrom?”

 

The man turned to his coworker, while she walked out. Vaike smirked and wriggled his eyebrows at him. He only got a heavy eye rolling and a slamming door in reply.

 

\--

 

            They miraculously managed to sidle up their way to a free table by the window in the snack-bar they went to, a couple of streets away from the station. Robin had guessed Chrom had wanted to go somewhere closer, but the idea of being spied on by his coworkers had probably encouraged him to avoid being seen with her. She sat at the red metallic table, put her sandwich down on it while tucking her bag between her legs. She struggled with her trench coat, trying to wriggle her way out of it without accidentally punching the person behind her. Chrom noticed how she fought against her clothing, and decided to take his coat off before he sat in front of her. The snack-bar was small and crowded, the same way their table was. They had just enough space to put down their sandwiches and drinks. She tried to ignore the fact her knees were bumping against his under the table, but she could feel his warmth through her jeans – being cold did not help either – and it was distracting her. He stretched, lifting his arms above his head and frowning faintly, before letting them fall to his sides with a sigh of relief. She took a long breath, urging her brain to _calm the fuck down_. And he really needed to stop with that gorgeous smile or she was going to lose it.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?” He asked with a slightly worried expression.

“I’m fine, really.” She replied with a polite smile.

“If you’re thirsty, we can share mine.” He offered, tapping the lid of his bottle of coca-cola with a finger.

 

Drink from the same bottle as him? She usually didn’t mind doing this with people, but the said people were usually her friends. Not her neighbours. Her _hot_ neighbours. She cleared her throat.

 

“Thanks for the offer.”

“Well then, _bon appétit._ ” He said, before taking a bite of his food.

“If you tried to speak Plegian, you got it wrong, that’s Rosannian.” She chuckled.

He swallowed before speaking “I know, I tried to sound polyglot. Unfortunately, I wasn’t skilled at foreign languages.”

“Let me guess, you were the best at sports but everything that wasn’t science and history was a complete mystery to you?” She teased, starting to eat as well.

“How come you have such prejudice about me?” He chuckled.

“You’re not denying it though.”

“I’m not, I was the best at sports. Except when it was gymnastics and dancing, I’m so stiff I can’t touch my feet.”

 

Robin giggled and he gave her a warm smile, so warm that she had to avert her eyes, focusing on the crowd moving on the opposite side of the window like fish in an aquarium. The lively chatter around them made the silence quite comfortable.

 

“Can I ask you something a bit personal?” He asked hesitantly after a few seconds.

“Depends, I guess.” She replied, looking back at him.

“How well does Morgan handle the fact you’re the only one raising him?” Chrom asked with a pout, apparently feeling guilty for daring to ask such a question.

She lifted a curious eyebrow “Why the question?”

Chrom let out a loud sigh and put his sandwich down to cross his arms “I’m worried about Lucina. She doesn’t express her feelings a lot, so I want to be sure she’s happy with me.”

“Well, did you give her the choice?” Robin asked, eating her food bit by bit, her eyes locked on him.

“I did. Actually, Sumia and – I mean, my ex-wife and I discussed it, and we thought it was fair to ask for Lucina’s opinion first before deciding ourselves.”

“She said she wanted to come with you?”

“Yes.”

Robin tilted her head to the side, a bit puzzled “What are you worried about then? She followed you willingly.”

“That’s what I don’t understand, actually. All of her life is in Ylisstol, her friends, her family… I don’t get why she decided to follow me.” He said, looking outside. The sunlight brought out the blue of his hair more than the usual.

“Because she simply loves her father?” She ventured.

Chrom looked back at her, blinking in surprise “Uh?”

“You know-” she took a bite of her sandwich and chewed as she continued “Children tend to think simply, and they’re right; she loves you, maybe when you still lived in Ylisstol she preferred when she stayed at your place rather than at her mother’s, I don’t think it’s as deep as you could think. Did she get married again?”

“Sumia? She has a new partner, but they’re not married.”

“Have they been together for long?”

“Around four years, if I remember well.”

“Mmh… My theory is that Lucina probably thought she was in the way, so she thought it was a good reason to leave. As a child with divorced parents, I always felt awkward whenever one of them got a new partner. My father got several ones before he got married again, I think he even legally adopted his new wife’s daughter.” She waved her hand “Well, it’s not like I saw him lots anyway. My mother dated another man for a couple of years, he was nice, but I was still… you know, _someone else’_ s child.”

 

Chrom crossed his arms on the table and looked at her. Rather intensely, if she had to be honest. He seemed to be scrutinising her, looking at every detail of her face, as if he was looking for something in her expression. She felt her cheeks warm up under his focused gaze and she shuffled awkwardly on her seat. Gods, why did he have to stare at her the only day in her life she did not have the time to put make-up on?

 

She chuckled nervously, fighting the urge to untie her ponytail to hide behind her hair “Do I have something on my face?”

“I was just wondering if you had a happy childhood.” He admitted, his eyes locked in hers.

 

…Wow.

 

“You haven’t played the game enough to unlock my tragic backstory yet.” She teased with a crooked grin.

He lifted an eyebrow and leaned closer, mimicking her expression “So this is all a game, uh? Admit it, you stole my wallet so I could offer you free food as a reward for completing the side quest.”

She played along and crossed her arms on the table as well “That’s what you get for spying on your neighbours at night.”

“I told you I wasn’t spying!” He pouted.

 

            She chuckled, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Until she realised how close they were. That damn table was really way too small. She could see his eyelashes in detail, and if it had not been covered by smell of frying around them, she was sure she could have breathed his scent in. When he let out a small laugh, she felt his breath on her lips, and she blinked as he sat back in his chair.

 

“Fine, let’s go for the tragic backstory thing then.” He smiled as he opened the soda bottle “And you haven’t answered my question. How does Morgan feel about it?”

She absentmindedly fidgeted with her paper towel with a hand, resting her chin on the other “The fact he doesn’t have a father you mean? I think he takes it well, actually. Since he has never met him, he grew up thinking that being raised by his mother only was normal.”

“But what about the other children? I mean, his friends have probably asked him questions, or he has seen them with both of their parents, right? Isn’t he curious?” He asked before taking a few gulps of his drink.

Robin shrugged “You know, Morgan doesn’t bother with this kind of things. He knows his case is different, and he asked me about his father once. So I told him the truth.” She laughed at her own words “I mean, I didn’t say “your dad was an asshole who didn’t have the guts to take responsibility while he was the one who insisted on stopping using protection”, but more something along the lines of “he was not ready to be a father, so he decided to not become one.””

“You ex sounds like he was a first class jerk.” Chrom said with a small frown.

“I portray him like this, but it was not the case, I swear. He was very loving, it was a serious relationship, but having children was out of the question for him. That’s what made me realise I couldn’t go on with this. The only times we actually argued were when I told him I was pregnant and that I wanted to keep the baby by all means. And now look at Morgan! He’s the best son I could have ever wished for.”

 

Chrom smiled tenderly at her, and she blushed.

 

“What?”

“I like it when you talk about your son. Your eyes are shining.” He said, before suddenly gasping, turning red “I-I mean…!!”

“Sorry to break it to you but all normal parents have their eyes shining when they talk about their offspring!” She laughed in attempt to hide her embarrassment.

 

Chrom joined in her fit of laughter, his voice resonating around her and making her forget they were not alone for a split second. She understood his worries. When she had not hesitated a single second to follow her mother at the age of five, accepting without a second thought to live in a country she barely knew about – not that she had asked for her opinion anyway, she just miraculously won her custody – she could still understand how it actually felt. The sense of guilt and betrayal, the fear of losing the unchosen parent’s love, the fear to be hated. At first, she was scared her father hated her; it was only when she reached the age of sixteen that she understood that he had done things wrong and that she was actually better off if – indeed – he hated her. The less she heard about him, the best it was. Fortunately for Lucina, both of her parents seemed to want the best for her and to keep some emotional stability so she could grow up fine. Robin had not dated anyone since her son’s birth; she wasn’t truly willing to, and considered herself too busy for this. But another reason, that she barely admitted to herself, was that she was scared Morgan would feel the same way she did when she was still a child. She did not want her son to feel unwelcome, to feel rejected, when most of her life – and impulse control – depended on him. Her son was everything to her.

 

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, pulling her out of her thoughts. She checked out the device, ignoring for the thousandth time the notification about her storage memory being full, but still took a look at the clock.

 

“I should go back soon. I have to catch the bus so I won’t be too late for work.” She stated, putting her phone away.

“I can drop you off, so you can stay longer.” Chrom offered.

She lifted an eyebrow, smiling “Drop me off? And how are you planning to do that without a car?”

“I work for the police, should I remind you of the vehicles we own?” He chuckled.

 

            She accepted his offer; first because that meant more time to eat, secondly because that meant more time with _him_ – gods, she was such a teenager – and thirdly because she really wanted to see Vaike’s face when Chrom announced he’d drop her off on his unplanned patrol. And it was _so_ worth it. The man went to get changed again, and she quickly checked her emails and social media while she waited for him. He came back a few minutes later, keys twirling around his fingers as he guided her to the parking lot.

 

            They remained silent for most of the ride, until a loud snort escaped Robin’s lips and she muffled her laugh behind her hand. Chrom smiled and glanced at her, although he kept focusing on the road.

 

“What’s so funny?” He asked.

“I was just thinking about Morgan’s face when I’m going to tell him you dropped me at work with a police car. He’s going to be so jealous!” She laughed, absentmindedly running a hand in her hair.

“I’m sure I can give him a ride someday.” He suggested.

“He’ll probably be very happy.”

“Are you?”

 

She instantly stopped laughing and looked at him. He pretended to be very focused on the road but the burning sensation in his cheeks was probably betraying him.

 

“What do you mean…?” She mumbled.

“Well… Do you… I hope you don’t mind the ride in a police car? I guess?” He ventured.

He heard her chuckle “Not at all. It makes me feel like I’m important.”

“Or that you could be a criminal.” He teased.

“Don’t criminal usually sit in the back?”

He kept silent a second “…You’re not wrong.”

 

Another silence followed.

 

“I was thinking…” Robin started.

“Yes?”

“I know it might sound out of the blue and I swear there’s a logical chain of thought behind this but, what does Lucina do on Wednesdays?” She asked, lacing her fingers on her lap.

“She stays at the school’s nursery, unfortunately. I work on Wednesdays and I can’t get someone to babysit her.” He explained, checking left then right before changing roads.

“I could do it.”

 

Chrom looked at her in surprise, but his gaze could not linger on her smiling face for too long, and he reluctantly tore his eyes away from her.

 

“Aren’t you working?” He inquired.

“Not on Wednesday afternoons. I like to spend some time with my son. So I can keep an eye on Lucina as well, if you want to.” She offered.

“Well, I’ll have to discuss it with her, but why not. Just tell me how much you’d like me to pay you.”

She waved her hands “Oh, no! I’m just doing this to help out, nothing more.”

“I insist.” Chrom said with a frown.

“And I insist too.” Robin said, before smiling “but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Ask her if she’d like it first, and then we’ll discuss it.”

“I don’t see why she’d refuse to spend time with Morgan!” He chuckled.

 

\--

 

Of course she did not refuse. On the opposite, her blue eyes started shining the very second he mentioned it that evening. She put her fork down on her half-empty plate and looked at him in utter disbelief, trying to guess if he was messing with her or not.

 

“For real?” She said, her voice slightly high-pitched due to the surprise.

“For real.” Chrom smiled “but only if you want to.”

Lucina crossed her arms and looked up with a pensive pout “Mmh… Well, I like to spend time with Inigo and Severa too… Can I do that on week in two?”

“I suppose so. I’ll ask Robin if she’s okay with it.”

“And we can give them their Christmas presents like that!” Lucina chirped.

 

Chrom glanced at the two packages on the shelf near the entrance door. They had been sitting there since they came back from Christmas break, and he had not had the occasion to give them to their neighbours yet. It was already January 25th, it was about time they did so.

 

“Indeed.” He finally said, turning back to his daughter and pointing at her pasta with a move of the chin “Finish your plate, Miss.”

“Yes, dad.” She said, picking up her fork to resume eating.

 

The bright smile on her lips convinced him that they were on the right track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my friends mentioned more than once that Rosanne was supposed to be the France of the game, since Virion's accent was supposed to sound French (it actually sounded weird in my opinion but not necessarily French haha), so I kept it like that. I've also read several fics in which French language and culture has been used to refer to Rosanne (special shoutout to musicribbons' Pursuit, my fave fic ever and that - I admit it - might have influenced By The Bus Stop a little)


	4. Wednesdays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can I have a magic sword? Like, one only I can use?” Lucina asked, crossing her legs and looking at Morgan expectantly.  
> “Okay, but in exchange I want to have magic powers!” Morgan negotiated, his legs swinging on the edge of the bed he was sitting on.  
> “Fine, but you can’t do magic like that. You need magic books.”  
> “Okay but your magic sword can only be activated with the help of a magic dragon.”  
> Lucina smiled and leaned forward, holding her hand out to him “Deal.”  
> Morgan high-fived her “Deal!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *says she's going to slow down on fics to work on her thesis*  
> Also me : *posts a new chapter 9 days later*

            Morgan kept on staring at the clock. He had finished his homework long ago, putting his notebooks away neatly in his bag, and had crossed his arms on the table, waiting patiently for noon to strike. He usually spent his spare time playing with the few friends who where with him on Wednesday mornings, but today was an exception. He was growing impatient. So impatient that he was swinging his feet back and forth under the table. He never noticed how slow time was, especially when he could not tear his eyes off the black hands on the plain white background. And when the two of them finally aligned over the silver twelve, he sighed in relief. His mother finished work, so he needed to wait twenty more minutes. Fifteen if she caught the bus a bit earlier.

 

            Naga probably heard his prayers, for Robin showed up at the nursery just when the long hand pointed at the three, a large smile on her lips. Morgan jerked up the very second she walked in to greet the organiser, and quickly left his seat to go hug his mother tightly.

 

“Mom, let’s go!!” He begged, giving her puppy eyes.

Robin giggled and ran a hand in his hair “Right right, go pick up your stuff and we’ll get going.”

 

            The boy did not need to be asked twice and dashed to his hanger, picked up his scarf and coat to put them on and grabbed his backpack, while his mother kept on chatting politely with the man who had been keeping an eye on him. He pulled on her hand to catch her attention.

 

“I’m ready, let’s go!!” He said impatiently.

“My my, someone is eager to leave” the man said with a chuckle.

“We’re picking up one of his friends today.” Robin explained, resting a hand on her son’s shoulder “She’ll be spending the afternoon with us.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I won’t hold you back then. Have a nice afternoon.”

 

            Morgan spent the entire bus ride wriggling on his seat, a happy smile on his lips. Robin lazily played with his hair with a hand in attempt to keep him calm, using the other to check her emails on her phone. They were supposed to pick Lucina up at her school, then come back to the residence together. She had made an arrangement with Chrom, agreeing to look after the little girl once every two weeks.

 

_“Oh, before I forget.” Chrom said while picking up his phone and unlocking it “Do you mind giving me your phone number so I can reach you?”_

_Robin’s heart missed a beat and she smiled politely at him, holding her coat closer to shield herself from the wind “Sure, no problem.”_

_He held her his phone and she quickly entered her number before giving the device back to him. He thanked her, and put it away with a smile._

_“I’ll tell the school you’ll be the one picking up Luci on Wednesday.”_

_“Sounds good to me. See you on Wednesday then?”_

_“Yes, see you on Wednesday.”_

_Robin smiled at him and walked away, calling her son back from the common garden, where he had been playing with his friend for a while. She had not even locked the door of her apartment yet that she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket._

_[18:42] Hi, it’s Chrom._

Robin snapped out of her thoughts when Morgan patted her leg.

 

“Mom, aren’t we supposed to get down at this stop?” He asked.

“Oh, right!” She blurted out.

 

\--

 

            Morgan looked around in curiosity, holding his mother’s hand to not get lost as they walked along the corridors of Lucina’s school. It was smaller than his, and more decorated, the walls covered in drawings made by the children throughout the year. It looked like a fun place, even the playground was in better shape than the one they had, the tarmac looking brand new in comparison to the holey concrete of his school. Robin knocked on a glass door and opened it carefully, announcing herself as they walked in. He quickly scanned around the room as his mother talked with the organiser, introducing herself and explaining that she was there to pick Lucina up at Chrom’s request.

 

            The little girl was kneeling on a patterned carpet, playing with a knight figurine, making it fight against the one a boy in front of her was holding. He recognised her blue hair, tied in a ponytail, and the Toothless printed on her grey sweater – her favourite – in less than a second. Both children were chuckling discreetly as they played, obviously caught in their little world, until the woman who had been keeping an eye on them called her. Lucina instantly lifted her head towards them, and she smiled upon noticing her neighbours. Morgan waved brightly at her, holding himself back from running to her. The boy she had been playing with followed her silently as she joined them.

 

“Hello Morgan!!” she chirped, then greeted Robin as well, before gesturing to her friend “Here’s Inigo, he’s my friend.” She explained.

“Hi, I’m Morgan!” The boy instantly blurted out, holding his hand out to him enthusiastically. Lucina’s friends were automatically his friends. No exception.

The boy turned red and fidgeted with a strand of his brown hair as he shook his hand hesitantly “H-hi, n-nice to meet you.” He stuttered.

 

            Robin asked Lucina to gather her belongings, and Inigo followed her as she did so. Actually, he followed her until they reached the entrance door.

 

“See you tomorrow…?” He asked her shyly as she arranged her bag on her shoulders.

“Yes.” She replied, a hint of a smile on her lips “See you tomorrow, Inigo.”

 

She looked back at him after a few steps, and waved gently. He disappeared from the glass door the following second.

 

\--

 

“I’m telling you I’m pretty sure you left your keys in the car.” Cordelia argued, shaking her head with a small sigh.

“And I’m sure someone stole them!” Vaike replied, checking the pockets of his trousers for the fifth time in the past two minutes.

 

Chrom did not bother interrupting them as they made their way to the small staff room at the end of the main corridor of the station. The blond man collapsed in the worn-out couch with a groan, while Cordelia walked to the fridge and opened it to get her food. She gave up on trying convincing him that he was just forgetful, Vaike was obstinate and would never admit he could be wrong.

 

“Chrom, you’re on my side, right?” He said, looking up at him for support.

“Yes yes, I’m on your side.” Chrom sighed in defeat.

 

His phone rang in his pocket and he picked it up, smiling at the screen when he saw the message. Which, of course, did not go unnoticed to his coworker.

 

“Ohoh, someone’s got a girlfriiiend~” Vaike teased, owning them a curious glance from Cordelia as she closed the fridge.

“Uh? Why are you saying that?” Chrom replied, slightly embarrassed.

The man wriggled his eyebrows as he slouched on the sofa “Because you’re smiling at your phone.”

“No wonder why we never put you on any case, your sense of judgement is completely on the blink.” Chrom commented, a blasé look on his face “Just because I was smiling at my phone? It could have been my sister sending me a funny picture of my nephew, you know?”

“The fact you’re saying “could” proves that’s not the case.” Vaike continued “So, who’s the lucky girl?” He gasped dramatically as he sat up “Oh my Naga it’s the woman from the other day, right?! The one who brought back your wallet!!”

“Wait, what?” Cordelia intervened, completely puzzled.

“He lost his wallet and some hot woman brought it back and he invited her for lunch!”

 

Gods, he had to stop that before he’d start spreading a misunderstanding around.

 

“Vaike, I told you she’s my _neighbour_. Our children are friends and we meet regularly at the bus stop, that’s all. Stop saying she’s my girlfriend.” Chrom said with a frown.

“Is she the one who texted you, though?” Cordelia asked as she sat on a chair on the opposite side of the couch, opening the plastic box that contained her lunch.

“She is, and that’s because she’s _babysitting Lucina this afternoon_.”

 

Vaike pouted at his explanation, obviously disappointed in his lack of spicy stories. Cordelia rolled her eyes with a smile and started eating, while Chrom tapped his answer and put his phone away in his back pocket.

 

The picture Robin had sent him was so adorable he almost considered setting it as his new phone background. Lucina was leaning against the window of the bus, facing Robin, and Morgan’s head was resting on her shoulder. Both looked lost in their thoughts, looking outside absentmindedly, although he could see the hint of a smile behind her parted fingers, for her elbow was resting on the window frame and her chin on her hand. A simple message accompanied the photo.

 

_[12:56] I don’t know what they’re thinking about, but it’s pretty intense._

_[13:01]_

_Probably dragons and knights!_

 

\--

 

            Robin giggled when she read the message, but that did not seem to disturb the children from their thoughts. Maybe they were thinking about dragons indeed. Or knights? Given Morgan’s imagination, he could have created an entire world in his head in the span of a bus ride. She already expected him to drag Lucina into the said world, as he always did with his friends. Whenever he tried to explain her the plots and subplots of all the stories they came up with in a single afternoon – or just their morning breaks, sometimes – she nodded in agreement but refused to admit that she had sometimes troubles following him.

 

The automated voice announced that their stop was next, and she slowly waved her hand in the children’s field of vision to get their attention.

 

“Earth to Morgan and Lucina.” She sang, and both blinked groggily, their gazes drifting back to her “We’re back.”

 

Both nodded obediently and bent to grab their backpacks before standing up. When the bus stopped and the doors opened, the three of them got down – Robin made sure they thanked the driver in the process – and started to make their way back to the residence. Morgan walked backwards to chat with Lucina, who warned him every time he was about to bump into a lamppost or some obstacle of the sort.

 

The little girl was not picky with her food, to Robin’s relief. Chrom had told her it was not the case, but there was always a difference between what parents said and how children truly acted. If Morgan was well-behaved, Lucina was on a whole entire level. She had taken her shoes off as soon as she had stepped in the apartment, folded her jacket and scarf before handing them to Robin, asked where she could wash her hands before they eat, and offered her help to prepare lunch or set the table. Her way of speaking was very polite, if not formal, and it was as cute as it was puzzling. It was obvious her parents had taught her good manners, but she almost did a bit too much. She did not speak a lot during their meal, only replying when spoken to; Morgan did his best to worm sentences out of her, but Lucina was not willing to share too much. She did not seem to feel awkward or anxious, however, which made Robin curious. This little girl was a mystery. Chrom did not exaggerate when he said that it was hard to guess what was on her mind; her expressions were hard to decipher, although they were full of honesty.

 

It was only when she heard her laugh from Morgan’s room after lunch, her son’s joining hers a second later, that theories started to sprout in Robin’s mind. She was most likely nervous around adults. She recalled having troubles understanding them herself as a child, so she assumed that Lucina was behaving in a similar fashion. Morgan, on the other hand, was extroverted and made no difference between adults and children, for the only exception that adults worked, drove, voted, and got paid. Which was, technically, not so reductive.

 

Robin made herself a cup of tea and sat on the couch with her book of the week, her legs folded to one side, her arm leaning against the armrest, and the novel set on her lap, the distant chatter of the children making some background noise. She could already imagine the disaster of a mess they were making in his room, that Morgan would take days to tidy – until she threatened him to stop their evening reading time together that he cherished so much -, toys and figurines scattered on the floor as their imaginations jumped from one thing to another. It was still too cold to go outside for too long, but as soon as the days would get warmer, she would bring them to parks and nice places to visit. She wanted to bring Morgan to the local museums and planetarium – she knew he would love it – but she still had to guess what Lucina thought of it. She would probably say yes out of politeness rather than true will, and it was out of the question.

 

\--

 

“Can I have a magic sword? Like, one only I can use?” Lucina asked, crossing her legs and looking at Morgan expectantly.

“Okay, but in exchange I want to have magic powers!” Morgan negotiated, his legs swinging on the edge of the bed he was sitting on.

“Fine, but you can’t do magic like that. You need magic books.”

“Okay but your magic sword can only be activated with the help of a magic dragon.”

Lucina smiled and leaned forward, holding her hand out to him “Deal.”

Morgan high-fived her “Deal!”

A couple of knocks caught their attention to the door, and Robin opened it just enough to poke half of her body through it “Kids, it’s time for – dear _Naga_ Morgan, you’d better tidy your room as soon as Lucina goes home!”

Morgan gave her an awkward smile, scratching his neck “Yes Mom, sorry.”

“I’ll help him.” Lucina declared “I played too, so I must help him.”

“But we’re not done playing yet!” The boy pouted.

Robin smiled gently at them “I’m not saying you have to clean up now, just that you have to do it when you’re done. Okay? Now come to the kitchen, it’s time for snacks.”

Both children chirped in unison “Yay!”

 

            Robin stepped aside to let them pass as they made their way to the kitchen. Morgan wasted no time and sat on his chair, inviting his friend to join in. His mother burst into laughter upon seeing the two of them waiting expectantly for their food like lion cubs, their eyes shining at the idea of eating something sweet. He squealed in happiness when his mother set down a plate of homemade cookies in front of them, along with two glasses of orange juice. He had made the said cookies with her the previous evening, in preparation for the arrival of their guest the next day, and was eager to see what she would think of it.

 

“Morgan made them yesterday.” Robin explained for him, gesturing at the biscuits “Try one, Lucina.”

 

The little boy looked at her expectantly as she picked up a cookie and took a tiny bite. A small smile made its way to her lips, and she took another hungry bite before looking at him.

 

“It’s delicious!!” she declared.

Morgan giggled, his cheeks turning pink in embarrassment “I’m happy you like them!!”

 

\--

 

            Chrom cleared his throat and smoothed his coat, a somewhat useless gesture but still of importance as part of his socializing process. He checked if his paper bag was still full, then pressed the button of the interphone several times until he found the name “Grima”, and rang. The door buzzed a few seconds letter, and he walked in, already knowing which where he was supposed to go. He had not reached the first floor yet that Robin had already opened the door and was waiting for him with a smile. His gaze lingered for half a second on her collarbones and the silver necklace she was wearing, brought out by the sweetheart neckline of her red close-fitting cashmere top. He blinked, squeezing his eyes shut a bit longer than he should have, then focused on her brown eyes as he reached the door.

 

“Good evening, Chrom.” She welcomed him, her smile growing larger.

“Good evening, Robin.” He replied with a polite grin “I hope Lucina has been good?”

“She has, don’t worry.” She walked back in, inviting him to follow with a move of the hand “Come in, don’t stay in the landing. Would you like something to drink?”

He closed the door behind him and directly proceeded to take off his coat and leather shoes, watching her walk to the kitchen “Just a glass of water, please.”

 

He looked around, feeling a bit awkward since her apartment had the same layout as his, but with different furniture. There was a huge bookcase where he had settled for a sideboard, her TV was bigger than his, the living-room table smaller than the one he had. The couch was L-shaped, and Lucina and Morgan were snuggling against each other on it, a grey fuzzy blanket spread on them as they watched a DVD. Morgan was barely awake, his head tipping every now and then as sleep was getting the upper hand, almost falling off the little girl’s shoulder every time he did so. On the other hand, she was perfectly alert, deeply focused on the movie they were watching, her head resting against her friend’s absentmindedly. Robin came back from the kitchen, holding a glass of water in hand.

 

“I knew she had taken it from you.” She chuckled.

“Uh?” Chrom mumbled, turning his eyes to her.

She gestured to his shoes next to the door “Lucina took her shoes off as soon as she walked in, I was sure you were the one who taught her this habit.”

“Oh, that.” He smiled brightly at her “That’s something her mother taught her actually. But Sumia also used to make me do this as soon as we started living together back then, I guess she rubbed off on me.”

Robin sat at the table and put the glass down, waiting for him to join her “Anyhow, your daughter is very polite and well-behaved, you can be proud of her.”

“Oh, I am.” He said with a chuckle and sat in front of her “And she still hasn’t noticed I’m here.”

“That’s the power of Moana, this movie captivates everyone watching it.”

“Except Morgan, apparently.” He remarked.

Robin waved her hand with a crooked grin “Nah, it’s just that he knows it by heart already, and both of them had a tiring day. They spent the afternoon playing in his room.”

“Thank you again for watching over her.” He sipped his drink, and hummed in realisation before putting it down. He quickly left the table to pick his paper bag next to his shoes, and came back to his seat. He pulled out a small black box and held it out to her “Here.”

Robin blushed faintly “I beg your pardon?”

“It’s my belated Christmas present. My sister helped me pick it, I hope it’ll be to your taste. We got something for Morgan as well, of course.”

“That wasn’t necessary, really.” She said, fidgeting with her necklace nervously.

“I insist, Robin.”

 

Her gaze flickered between his eyes and the box in his hand, and she sighed in defeat, reaching out to take it.

 

“Fine, you win this time.”

“Consider it as a thank you gift for helping me out with Luci, if you prefer.” He said.

“I’d rather consider it as a Christmas present.” She chuckled, before opening the box. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, then looked back at him “No, I can’t accept this, Chrom, this is too much!”

He shook his head “Robin, you bought me expensive chocolates, it’s the least I could do.”

She turned the box to him, and the triangle shaped pendant on the silver bracelet shone faintly with the ceiling light. Retrospectively, it really was a good choice. He gave her a puzzled look and she blushed harder “Seriously, I feel guilty now.”

“Don’t, it makes me happy to give you this.”

“It’s _jewellery_.” She emphasised.

“And?”

“And jewels and chocolate are not on the same level!”

“If you need to be reassured, it’s not made of diamonds and platinum.” He said with a playful grin.

She pouted “It’d better be a rubbish one.” She pulled the bracelet out of the box and observed it “It looks pretty, though. You have a good taste. Thank you.”

He scratched his neck “Oh, you can thank my sister, actually. She’s the one who suggested that one. She thought the more discreet it was, the better it would be.”

Robin chuckled “Indeed. I tend to prefer discreet jewellery anyways.” She undid the clasp then wrapped the bracelet around her left wrist, and tried to fasten it by wedging it between her arm and her stomach, in vain. She sighed and held her arm out to him “Mind helping me?”

Chrom looked at her arm and felt his cheeks warm up ever so faintly “Yeah, sure.”

 

He grabbed her wrist gently and pushed the sleeve of her top upwards, then picked the two ends of the bracelet and tried to fasten it. He needed a few tries – for his nails were short and it was hard to keep the clasp open – to get it right, but he finally managed to do it properly. He kept the back of her hand in his palm for a few seconds afterwards, observing how the triangle reflected the light, before letting her go with a satisfied hum. Her skin was darker than his, bringing out the colour of the bracelet more than he had originally thought. He took a mental note to text Lissa as soon as he went back home to thank her.

 

“Thanks.” Robin said while pulling her sleeve down, then crossed her arms on the table “But next time, I won’t give in so easily.”

Chrom smirked “Is that a challenge?”

She frowned “You’d better not.”

 

A soft thud behind Chrom caught their attention, and both of them looked towards the sofa. Lucina had lost against sleep and gently collapsed on her side, Morgan lying on top of her inelegantly.

 

“Oooh~, they’re so adorable.” Robin whispered, then stood up discreetly from the table.

 

She grabbed her phone on the chest of drawers near the entrance door and tiptoed her way to the couch, leaning over them to take a couple of pictures. Chrom watched her do, and turned around a bit more when she came back by his side and leaned against the table to show him the photos. He held back a laugh and looked at her.

 

“They look adorable together, don’t you think?” He spoke lowly.

“They do.” Robin replied with a tender smile.

“What surprises me is that Lucina is not that cuddly, usually. I mean, she is with her relatives, but not with her friends.”

“I don’t want to say it’s all thanks to Morgan but… it might be all thanks to Morgan.” She said, putting the phone down on the table and crossing her arms to look at the children, a soft expression on her face.

“It might be.” Chrom repeated, his gaze lingering on her delicate profile for a second “They haven’t spent that much time together, that’s what I find unusual. She’s not like that with Inigo, and yet they are always glued to each other.”

Robin looked back at him and he averted his eyes “Oh, I saw that little boy earlier. He’s really cute. And terribly shy. You know, maybe he wants to be cuddly but he’s too shy for that? He seems to be really fond of Lucina.”

“You think so?”

She chuckled “He followed her like a duckling when I fetched her, it was adorable.”

 

Chrom was not even sure he had even seen the little boy’s eyes yet, for he always looked at his feet or hid behind his parents whenever he saw him. But from Lucina’s words, he knew that he spent all of his time with her, and that he did not always get along with her other friend Severa – Cordelia’s daughter – but was willing to make an effort for her.

 

He changed the subject “Do you mind sending me the pictures you took?”

Robin took her phone and walked back to her seat “Sure, give me a minute.”

 

            The movie ended by the time Chrom’s phone vibrated in his coat pocket, and she turned the TV and DVD player off. The sudden silence pulled Morgan out of his sleep, and he stood above his friend, his eyes half-closed and his mind foggy. Lucina was quick to wake up as well because of the sudden loss of warmth. They exchanged sleepy smiles and giggles, until Morgan noticed Chrom’s presence and sat up correctly.

 

“Good evening.” He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

Lucina turned around “Oh, good evening, Dad.”

“It’s about time you noticed I was here.” Chrom chuckled, then lifted the paper bag “Don’t you have something to give your friend?”

“Oh, right!” She gasped, and stood up to run to her father. The sudden change to a standing position made her totter left and right, and her grabbed her arm as soon as she was within reach.

“Don’t stand up too fast.” He advised, and he held her until she regained balance before handing her the bag “Here.”

“Thanks Dad.” She said, and walked back to the couch.

 

Both parents watched the little girl hand the bag to her friend, who gasped enthusiastically at the idea of getting a present. Lucina explained that it originally was for Christmas and that she was late, and that she loved the book he had gotten her. The boy quickly looked for her mother’s gaze, and she nodded at him with a smile. He smiled brightly at his friend, his missing teeth making him even more adorable, and quickly opened the present. He held the box wrapped in transparent plastic, deciphering the words.

 

“Twenty five…brain…teasers for…begin… beginners.” He read out loud, then held the box up happily “Mom!! Look!!”

“I can see, sweetie, I can see.” Robin chuckled, and gestured at him “Come here, I’ll open the box for you.”

 

Morgan walked to the table and held the box out to her, and she tore the plastic wrapping. He held his hands out to her once she was done, but she held the game out of his reach.

 

“Eh eh eh, what do we say first?” She asked in Plegian.

“Thank you.” He replied with a pout.

“You should thank Lucina too, and in Ylissean.” She added.

He turned to his friend, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression, for she had not understood their conversation. He hugged her tight and kissed her cheek loudly “Thank youuu~”

“You… uh, you’re welcome.” She mumbled, her face turning red.

Robin handed him the box when he let her go “There you go. And remember to put everything away when you’re done.”

“Yes mom!” He grabbed Lucina’s hand and skipped to his room.

 

Once they heard the door close, Robin let out a sigh and rested her chin on her hands. Chrom giggled.

 

“Let me guess, sometimes just watching him exhausts you.” He said with a playful tone.

“You have no idea.” She replied with a tired smile.

“I get the feeling, my nephew is exactly the same. He runs around until he suddenly collapses in exhaustion.”

“Poor Lucina.” Robin snorted.

Chrom crossed his arms on the table “Actually, she manages to keep up the pace very well. Better than him actually.”

“Your daughter is stronger than she seems.” She said, a warm smile stretching her lips.

 

            The kept on chatting for an hour or so, until Chrom realised it was getting late and that they shouldn’t loiter more. Lucina helped Morgan tidy his room, and he thanked her again for the _super-mega-awesome_ present. They exchanged a last hug on the doorstep, while Chrom held his hand out to Robin with his forever charming smile.

 

“Thanks again.” He said.

She shook his hand with a bright smile, her cheeks taking a slight shade of red “You’re welcome.”

“See you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow.”

 

\--

 

They, indeed, saw each other the following morning at 8:10 AM. Morgan waved at Lucina, Lucina waved back at him, Chrom killed her with his illegal charming smile, and Robin tried to not look too embarrassed as she smiled back. Each family went its way, starting another normal Thursday. The weather forecast announced some snow during the weekend, and Morgan couldn’t stop talking about it. She was impatient too, but kept the thought to herself; she hoped it would not melt too fast, so she could have the time to go play with her son in the common garden. At least, it was snowing in Themis, so she knew he could have fun at his grandmother’s place during the upcoming holidays. While she would stay there and work. Urgh. Just the idea of it demoralized her.

 

Robin paced up and down her office, cleaning and organising her shelves. She had not done it in a while, and she had suddenly felt the need to tidy her working space. Random songs were playing on shuffle on her computer – she liked to listen to some music when she worked – and she hummed along as she walked back and forth to her desk. She did not bother turning to the door when she heard a few knocks on it.

 

“Come in!” She put her binders on the desk then faced the person who had walked in “Ah, Stahl. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Robin.”

 

They looked at each other for a couple of seconds and she raised an eyebrow at him, glancing up and down at him curiously.

 

“Do you need anything?” She asked.

“Ah, uh, no. No no. It’s okay. Nevermind.” He mumbled, blushing faintly, and disappeared the next second.

 

\--

 

            Lucina looked at the calendar next to the whiteboard absentmindedly. It was February 1st already, and she couldn’t keep her eyes off the 14 circled with a red heart on the white paper. It was something she did not really understand, that Valentine’s Day thing. It was the day of lovers, but didn’t lovers love each other the rest of the year as well?

 

“Lucina.” Her teacher called out to her “Please listen to the class.”

She shook her head and focused back on the lesson “Yes, Madam.”

 

Inigo observed her, then his eyes drifted to the calendar she had been looking at, and the heart around the 14th caught his attention.

 

\--

 

“Come on, Stahl, you can do it!!”

 

Nowi patted the man’s arm with an encouraging smile, and he sighed as he rubbed his hands on his face.

 

“I tried three times today, Nowi. I lose my composure every time I look at her.”

 

The blond girl sighed and sat on her desk, crossing her legs. She looked ten years younger than she actually was, but that didn’t mean she had to act like a twenty-something year old. She knew she could give decent love advice.

 

“Stahl, who knows what happens in her life outside of work. Maybe someone’s going to do it before you do, and you’re going to regret it if that happens. Just grab your balls and go ahead! I can give you my spare Kinder eggs as a reward for your courage.”

“Dear Naga, who taught you such bad words?” He teased, although smiling embarrassedly.

She pointed at him, smirking “I’m older than you so don’t get on your high horse, kiddo.” Her expression softened “But really, don’t wait too much.”

“Wait too much for what?” Robin asked, walking into the main office, a couple of archives in hand.

Nowi smiled brightly at her and sat on the edge of her desk, her feet dangling in the air “Stahl’s Valentine’s Day date.”

“Oh, you want to ask someone out for Valentine’s Day? That’s nice.” She gave him a genuine smile “And who’s the happy woman?”

 

Stahl turned red and opened his mouth to speak, but no word came out. Nowi rolled her eyes and nudged him, and he whined in pain. He glared at her, and she gestured at Robin with a move of the head and a gaze that meant _do it now or I’m going to do it myself._ Stahl took a deep breath and combed his hair backwards in a vague attempt to relax. Robin tilted her head to the side, confused by their silent exchange.

 

“Are you…perhaps…” He fumbled with his words “Do you… Are you…”

“Gods, Stahl, get a grip!” Nowi shouted, making him jump in surprise.

“Areyoufreeonthefourteenth!” He blurted out.

 

A silence fell in the room, and Nowi facepalmed. It was. a. complete. disaster. She stood up and pinched her colleague’s arm, who cried in pain.

 

“Dude, you’re not fifteen, you can do better!” she said, then started to make her way out of the room, before turning around once she reached the door. She pointed at him with a pout “You can’t leave this room until you’ve said it properly!” the slammed the door shut without further ado.

 

Stahl made a face and slowly turned towards Robin, who had frozen on spot and turned bright red. Well, he might as well ruin the whole thing once and for all. He scratched his neck and inhaled.

 

“Sorry, it’s kind of messy but… I mean it.” He explained.

She pointed at him “You want to go on a date…” then at herself “…with me?”

“Y-yeah, I-I mean, if you want to of course! I don’t want to force you!”

“I’ll do it.”

Stahl blinked “Huh?”

“I’ll do it.” Robin repeated.

“You know, you can take some time to think about it… I don’t mind.” He said, waving his hands in embarrassment.

“Stahl, I said yes, please don’t make me regret it.” She said with a small frown “It sounds out of the blue, but I’d be delighted to go on a date with you on the 14th, okay?”

He blinked “Okay.”

“Now call Nowi back, we still have work to do.” She ordered, before walking back to her office.

 

As soon as the door clicked, he leaned against his colleague’s desk with the loudest sigh of relief of his life.


	5. Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Robin, please.”
> 
> “No.”
> 
>  
> 
> She frowned at him and held her credit card out to the waiter without breaking eye contact.
> 
>  
> 
> “I’m paying for my dinner, end of story.”
> 
> Stahl gave in with a sigh “Fine…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How will I get my degree? Only Naga knows.  
> (Pursuit's newest chapter came out a couple of hours ago and I have to physically restrain myself from reading it right now.)

“Mom? Mom!”

 

Robin snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Morgan, who was frowning at her with a pout. He had crossed his arms on the table and pushed his plate of lasagne away.

 

“You’re not listening!” He complained.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Now I’m listening.” She apologised with a smile that she wanted convincing.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

 

Morgan frowned more and she caught herself feeling disconcerted by the strength of his gaze.

 

“You’re the one who always tells me to come to you and tell you if something doesn’t feel right.” He said “You haven’t paid attention to what I’ve said and done since you picked me up from school. You’ve asked me to do my homework after dinner when I _was_ doing my homework. You had to redo the sauce for the lasagne because you poured sugar in instead of salt. You almost grabbed the dish in the oven without potholders.” He let a second pass, then spoke again “ _So,_ what’s wrong, Mom?”

 

Robin let out a loud snort, on the verge of bursting into laughter. Her son had inherited her perceptiveness, but she must have had her head really high in the clouds to be this distracted. He lifted an eyebrow, puzzled and slightly annoyed by her reaction, and she held a hand out to him. Uncrossing his arms, he took it and she gently rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand, smiling at him.

 

“I guess I owe you an explanation.” She said. After all, he was involved in her thinking process in some way “One of my colleagues asked me out on a date for Valentine’s Day today.”

He tilted his head to the side “What’s a date exactly?”

“You know when in movies they go to the cinema or the restaurant together but they’re not a couple yet?”

“When they kiss on the doorstep right after?”

She chuckled “Exactly.”

 

He scanned her face for a few seconds, probably trying to process and understand the concept, maybe imagining the consequences it could have in the future.

 

“And what did you say?” He finally asked.

 

There it was. She did not know why she had blurted her answer out like that. She should have thought about it, Stahl had said he was fine with it. But she did not like going back on her decisions. Her subconscious had spoken before she could even realise she had said yes.

 

She pinched her lips and looked down, guilt washing over her “I accepted.”

He gave her hand a squeeze “You don’t look happy, Mom. You always say that one has to refuse when they want to, even if it hurts the other person’s feelings.”

“I know…” She took a breath and tried to give him an encouraging smile “Let’s say I said yes without thinking about it.”

“But do you want to do it? Does it mean you’ll be a couple afterwards?”

 

_Does it mean he’ll live with us?_

 

Robin stayed silent a few seconds, trying to form her thoughts into words. Did it come out of the blue? Yes. Had she missed the signs? Yes. But Stahl was friendly with everyone, and from what she recalled, he behaved with the others the same way he behaved with her. Or maybe that was because she was his boss? Did she _really_ want to do it?

 

She needed a few more seconds to admit the truth.

 

“I do.” She finally confessed “But no, it doesn’t mean we’ll be a couple. It’s more like… testing if we could be a couple.” She explained, starting to fidget with Morgan’s fingers.

 

He stayed silent and averted his eyes, pinching his lips. She felt her ribcage tighten. That was exactly why she was not sure she should have accepted.

 

“You’re not hesitating because of me, are you?” He muttered.

 

Bullseye.

 

“What makes you think that?” She whispered, squeezing his hand.

“Because you probably have never said yes before.” He finally looked back at her “You can have fun too, Mom. I don’t mind. Really.”

 

He was too young to understand the true meaning of his pleading, but she seized the underlying thought in his words.

 

_You’re a mother, but you’re a woman too._

She smiled tenderly at him “Thank you, Morgan.”

“Can I have a hug?”

“Sure.”

 

He let go of her hand and walked around the table to join her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and nuzzled in the crook of her neck as she hugged him back tightly. She breathed the sent of his shampoo in, anxiousness finally leaving her body and thoughts.

 

“I love you, Mom.” He mumbled in her neck.

She kissed his hair “I love you too, honey.”

“Also…”

She let him go, just enough so he could look at her “Yes?”

“It’s going to last a while, that date, right?” He asked.

She lifted an eyebrow, trying to catch his train of thoughts “If it goes well, yes. Why?”

He smiled brightly “So that means someone will have to keep an eye on me, right?”

Oh, she knew where this was going. Her lips distorted into a crooked grin “Whose house do you want to have a sleepover at?”

“Lucina’s!!”

 

\--

 

Chrom was on his way to the police station when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He picked it up and turned towards the bus window, keeping his voice low to not disturb the other passengers.

 

“Hi Lissa.”

“ _Hi Chrom”_ his sister chirped through the phone “ _How are you?”_

“I’m fine, I’m on my way to work. What about you?”

“ _I’m fine. Owain has been sick last week so Ricken has taken a few days off to take care of him. I told him a dozen times to not go play in the snow without gloves, but you know, he never listens.”_

“Serves him right.” Chrom chuckled “I hope he’ll learn the lesson.”

“ _I hope too._ ” Lissa sighed “ _I was wondering if we could pay you a visit soon? We haven’t seen you since Christmas.”_

“Sure. How about on the weekend of the 17th? Does it sound good?”

“ _Sounds perfect. You’ll tell me about how Valentine’s Day went!”_

“…”

He could easily imagine her heavy eye rolling _“By Naga, don’t tell me you haven’t anything planned on the 14 th.”_

“I don’t.” He admitted, already bracing himself for the upcoming lecture.

“ _Chrom! Honestly! It’s about time you_ at least _go on a date or something! Listen, I’m not asking you to remarry, just to, you know, remember that you’re not just a father?”_

“I’m fine with being just a father, you know?” He countered.

“ _I swear to the gods, someday I’m going to send you to an endocrinologist. Your hormonal system is clearly on the blink. Are you aware of the concept of sexual needs and attraction?”_

“Some people do not experience it, for your information.” He pouted.

“ _Wow, thanks bro. Should I remind you I’m Emm’s sibling too? I know what asexuality is. What about… what was her name already? Dove? Your neighbour.”_

“I’m not inviting Robin on a date.” Chrom sighed “Besides, who would keep an eye on the children?”

“ _That’s the most stupid excuse I have ever heard of you, honestly. Lucina can go on a sleepover for a night, and so can her kid._ ”

“Lissa, I’m just… I don’t want to. Can you understand?” He said gently.

There was a silence on the other side of the line, then a sigh _“Fine. It’s not like we had this conversation every year anyway. I’ll tell Ricken for our weekend and I’ll keep you updated, okay?”_

“Sure, see you soon?”

 _“See you.”_ He was about to hang up when she spoke again _“Chrom?”_

“Yes?”

_“You deserve to be happy too.”_

“…Thank you.”

 

He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket with a sigh. It was always the same old tune, coming back every now and then, especially in February. His sisters were scared he had not moved on, when Sumia had on the other hand started a new life and was on her way to have a second child. But he was more than fine raising his daughter, and he did not really feel the need to engage in romantic relationships yet. He had his moments of loneliness of course, but hey, at least now he could sleep in the middle of the bed without being kicked by anyone.

 

What was bugging him was Lissa mentioning Robin. Why would he invite her in the first place? They were not close enough for him to dare such a move. Plus, she had a life besides being the neighbour-he-waved-at-every-morning-at-8.10AM, she probably had other plans and interests. Maybe she was already seeing someone; after all, she had only said that she had broken up with Morgan’s father, not that she had locked herself in as a mother figure who would give everything up for her son. Sumia had needed more than six months to introduce Gaius to him and Lucina, so Robin could have chosen to do the same.

 

What would he do if he were to go on a date with her anyway? Would he bring her to that new Rosannian restaurant Cordelia had told him about? Or maybe that Ylissean traditional cuisine one would be better. The food was good and not that expensive. Then what? Go watch a movie? Go for a stroll in a park? Wait, no, parks at night were always a bad idea, he knew it more than well. A walk nearby the river then? Yeah, that sounded way better. Or maybe they could drive out of town to go watch the stars. He knew a perfect spot for that. She’d have to wear something not too classy though, for she’d have troubles walking – hiking – if she wore something too formal. What kind of formal wear could she have, anyway? Sweetheart necklines suited her quite well, from what he had seen. What kind of colours would she settle for? Red, or purple? Something simpler, like black or white? Would she leave her hair down? He was persuaded an elaborate bun would look perfect on her.

 

…Wait a minute.

 

\--

 

            A loud laugh escaped Morgan’s lips as he spun around, his head thrown back and his arms spread wide. Cold was biting his red cheeks, but it was nothing compared to the happiness of finally getting to see the snow. Robin was standing a few meters further, leaning against the cold concrete of their building entrance, sheltered from the wind and snowflakes to smoke her once-in-a-blue-moon cigarette. She absentmindedly kept an eye on her son, who started gathering some snow to build a snowman. She did not have the heart to tell him there would not be enough to do so, and let him play on his own. She fetched her phone with a sigh and started checking her social media, until she heard Morgan gasp happily.

 

“Hi Lucina!!” He chirped as he started running to her, and she met him halfway with a shy smile.

 

            Chrom was following behind, and waved at her from the other side of the common garden. Robin took a last puff of her cigarette before turning it off and throwing the end in the nearby bin, then walked towards him, her head hunched between her shoulders because of the cold. Morgan resumed his snowman with the help of his friend, under Chrom’s warm expression. Her gaze followed the white wisps of mist he exhaled slowly as she came closer; he looked at her so gently she forgot to breathe for a second. He seemed to exude so much warmth under that scarf and coat, just watching him made her feel a bit less cold.

 

“Good afternoon, Robin.” He said.

“Good afternoon.” She replied with a small smile as she stood by his side to keep an eye on their children “How are you?”

“Fine, what about you?”

“I’m okay.”

There was a second of silence, until he raised an eyebrow at her “You’re going to shrink, if you keep on tensing like that.”

“I’m cold, what can I do about it?” She snorted.

“It’s not that cold, I think?”

“I’m a creature of the desert, you know? As much as I love the snow, I hate the fact it has to be cold and not just fluffy.”

Chrom laughed, tilting his head back, and she discreetly glanced at him from the corner of the eye “Said it like that, I get it!”

 

Lucina was doing her best trying to make the head of the snowman stand without falling, deeply focused on her task, until Morgan threw a snowball at her without warning. She gasped when it hit her shoulder, and she started running after him, throwing snow back at him. Their laughs filled the soft silence between their parents.

 

“Are you free on the 14th?” She asked casually.

Chrom choked on his own saliva and started coughing “W-what?”

She patted his back until he breathed normally again “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He chuckled awkwardly, his cheeks a bit red because of what she assumed to be the cold. He cleared his throat a couple of times “You were saying?”

“I was wondering if you had anything planned on the fourteenth.” She repeated, averting her eyes and pinching her lips faintly.

“Oh… Uh… No. Why?”

“Well…” She scratched her neck and pulled her scarf up “I’ve got a date that evening and I wanted to know if you could look after Morgan…? If you can’t I’ll ask his friends, it’s okay.”

He slouched very faintly, his shoulders dropping, and his tone sounded a bit disappointed “Oh, really?”

She giggled “Yeah, that was a bit unexpected… One of my colleagues asked me out on a date, so… I think it’s time to give it a try.”

“Haven’t you dated people after Morgan’s father?” Chrom asked, focusing back on the children to avoid looking at her.

“I haven’t. I just… I didn’t feel the need to. Or maybe I wasn’t ready. I don’t know. I feel guilty towards Morgan too…”

“Uh? Why would you?”

She rubbed her arms and started drawing random patterns on the snow with her right foot “Do you remember about the conversation we had last time? I don’t want Morgan to feel rejected, or to feel like I’m replacing him or something.”

“You can’t replace him, Robin. Having a man in your life is clearly not the same as raising a child.” He smiled “Or else you have a very weird relationship with your son and I would have to arrest you in that case.”

Robin groaned and rolled her eyes, although smiling “You get what I mean!”

He chuckled “I do.” He put a hand on her arm and smiled reassuringly at her, and she could almost feel his warmth through the sleeve of her coat “It’s nice that you managed to get a date. My sisters keep on nagging me to start seeing someone, it’s tiring.”

“I just…”

 

He looked at her curiously, noticing the small frown on her face as she hid her mouth further behind her scarf. His hand slowly went higher and he squeezed her shoulder gently, trying to get her attention.

 

“Robin?” He ventured.

“I… I still don’t know why I accepted.”

Chrom frowned “Did he pressure you?”

She shook her head with a small giggle “Not at all. He’s very sweet. I just don’t know where this came from, you see? I’ve worked with him for a few years now, so I didn’t expect it at all. It’s like… Like my brain went like “why not?”, and I said yes.”

He tilted his head to the side “Is it a bad thing, though?”

 

The sound of Morgan falling on his stomach with a “ooof” caught their attention, and Lucina burst into laughter. Robin said something, which Chrom more or less recognised as her asking if he was hurt – gods, he really had to refresh his knowledge of the Plegian language – and he mumbled back a small embarrassed yes as he stood back up and dusted his coat. Luci’s laugh was echoing through the garden, and Chrom smiled. She laughed like this so rarely he enjoyed it to its fullest. Proof was, Robin seemed pleasantly surprised.

 

“Wow, Lucina laughed?” She joked.

“It happens sometimes.” Chrom said, smiling wider.

“I heard her giggle, but burst into laughter like that? That’s surprising.”

 

The little girl stopped laughing as soon as Morgan threw a snowball in her face, and she started running after him again, seeking revenge. She was faster than him, and quickly tackled him to the ground, a string of yelps and laughs escaping their lips. Robin barely held back a sigh; she’d have to wash his jeans and hung his coat and shoes to dry once they go home, and throw him under the hot water of the shower to make sure he would not get sick. Chrom chuckled next to her, bringing a hand to his lips.

 

“You haven’t replied to my question…” She muttered after a while.

He turned to her “Mmh?”

“Do you mind if Morgan comes over on Valentine’s Day?”

“Absolutely not, Luci will be more than happy with that.”

 

\--

 

And so, after a long week of overthinking and apprehension, Valentine’s Day came.

 

            Chrom had started cleaning his place thoroughly as soon as he had fetched Lucina from school, and his daughter assisted him in the “operation clean-up”, changing the sheets of her bed by herself and preparing the folding bed for her friend. The fridge was full – he had to get ready for his sister visiting a couple of days later as well -, the living room vacuumed, the bathroom rubbed down, and the whole place ventilated. By the time the doorbell rang, dinner was roasting in the oven, releasing a nice smell of meat throughout the kitchen, while Lucina was sitting quietly on the couch, watching cartoons on TV and waiting patiently. As soon as she heard the buzzing sound, she ran to the door and pressed the button under the interphone to open the main entrance, then unlocked the door and opened it to wait for them, barely controlling her little bounces of eagerness. Chrom heard Morgan’s hurried footsteps as he ran up the stairs to join his daughter, and put a hand on her back to steady her as the boy jumped in her arms.

 

“Hi Luci!!!”

She hugged him back with a small smile “Hi Morgan.”

“Good evening, Chrom.” Robin said as she finished climbing the stairs.

 

            He lifted his head to greet her but he lacked the words, his thoughts stopping at the edge of his lips. Robin looked dashing. She seemed relaxed, her red lips stretched into a polite smile, revealing her white teeth. Silver earrings were dangling in her neck, reflecting the light randomly as she moved. Her winged eye-liner was so neat she could stab a man with her eyes, and so were her eyelashes. She had tied her hair in an elaborate bun – _the very one he had imagined goddamnit_ – only leaving the two strands of hair in front of her ears out and curling. He tried to stop himself from checking her out, but he couldn’t help but gauge her up and down. Her white pencil dress stopped just above her knee, and he sincerely hoped she wouldn’t be too cold with those thin flesh-coloured tights and black heels. She cleared her throat and pulled the edges of her purple trench coat tighter in a vague attempt to hide her body.

 

“Gods, where are my manners?” He coughed, his gaze flicking back to her chocolate eyes “Good evening, Robin. You look… You look ravishing.”

She played with one of her strands of hair, her lips pinched into an embarrassed pout. Damn, it was so hard to not stare at the cherry red of her mouth “Well, thank you. It’s been so long since I last went on a date, I hope it’s not too much.”

He shook his head “I think not, but it’s only my opinion.” He glanced behind him as Lucina pulled Morgan inside the apartment, then looked back at her, his gaze falling on the bag strap on her shoulder “I assume this is Morgan’s bag?”

“Ah, yes.” She gasped, and she handed him the bag “I put his pyjamas, his toothbrush, slippers, and a couple of games in it. And a pack of Kinder eggs.” She winked at him, grinning faintly “No chocolates for you this time, though.”

He chuckled, feeling a weird tickling in his stomach as he took the bag from her hands “I’m truly disappointed, Robin. I thought you’d have brought something for me.”

She shrugged “My bad, the only thing you’ll get from me today is my tornado of a son.” She put her hands in the pockets of her coat “Anyway, I hope I won’t come back too late to fetch him up. I don’t want Morgan to stay up late on a weekday.”

“He can stay here for the night, you know?” Chrom suggested.

“He doesn’t have his school bag though.”

“Well, I can bring him back tomorrow morning. I don’t mind. Or you pick him up, it’s up to you.”

She waved one of her hands with a flustered expression “Chrom, it’s nice of you but-“

“Robin.” He frowned “Forget about being a mother tonight. You need time for yourself, and you can’t afford to dump your date early because you have to pick up your son at midnight. Take your time, have fun, I’ll take care of Morgan.”

She stayed silent a few seconds, a bit taken aback, but ended up smiling warmly at him, her expression softening “Fine. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He gestured at her to wait and turned around with a frown “Lucina! Don’t run in the apartment!” He then sighed and looked back at Robin “Anyway, just text me when you’re home, so I make sure you’re safe. And don’t hesitate to call me if anything goes wrong, I’ll come get you.”

She chuckled “Yes mom!”

He scratched his neck, averting his eyes “Sorry… That was the officer talking.” He checked his watch “You should get going, I don’t want you to be late for your date. Where are you meeting up?”

She smiled once more at him “He’ll pick me up at the bus stop. But yeah, I’m gonna go. Have a nice evening, Chrom. Oh, and don’t hesitate to scold Morgan if he goes overboard, he’s a little fury when he’s excited like that.”

He ignored that slight splinter of jealousy he felt in his ribcage at the mention of the bus stop “I will. Now go. Enjoy your evening.”

 

She nodded and arranged her trench coat as she carefully walked down the stairs. But before she could disappear at the corner of the staircase, he stepped out of his flat.

 

“Robin!”

 

She lifted her head, looking at him expectantly. He smiled brightly and gave her a thumbs up.

 

“You can do it!”

 

\--

 

Or so she hoped.

 

She had not felt this nervous in years. The excitement and the nervousness of a date, the sweaty palms, the carefully chosen words, as if she had to prove herself. It was a good thing though. But her last date was years ago; it all felt new, unknown, almost awkward. But a good awkward. Chrom had told her it would be fine. And if she needed anything, she could always call him. But to be perfectly honest, Stahl was a lovely person, so there was no need to be this stressed, right?

 

She absentmindedly fidgeted with the triangle at her wrist, wedging it between the skin of her thumb and her nail. She would be fine. Actually, she felt better the very second she recognised Stahl’s car at the end of the street, and inhaled very slowly as it approached. She straightened her back and smiled brightly as the car stopped in front of her and the window rolled down, revealing her equally nervous but delighted colleague.

 

“Good evening, Robin. I hope you didn’t wait too much.”

 

\--

 

Lissa leaned both of her elbows on the grey tablecloth, smiling lovingly at her companion as she rested her chin on her hands. Ricken blushed faintly under her stare and ate the piece of meat on his fork before putting it down.

 

“Do I have something on my face?” He ventured.

“Just super sexy lips I can’t wait to kiss.” She replied without hesitation.

He blushed harder and looked around to check if no one in the restaurant had heard her “Lissa, we’re in public!” He whispered.

She rolled her eyes with a sigh, but never stopped smiling “Ricken, honey, it’s not like I started dirty talking, relax.” She stared at his hazel eyes for a couple of seconds before speaking again “Jokes aside, I was just thinking about how much I love you.”

 

He looked at her. At her loving eyes. Her genuine smile. The way her braided blond hair fell on her right shoulder, most of its ends pricking out of it despite all the lacquer she had used to keep it in place. The way her fingers tapped on her cheek excitedly. The pale yellow lace covering her arms but leaving her shoulders bare. Her bubbly personality, the lively spark of her eyes. He loved all of that. He loved all of her. She was the brightest shade of sun.

 

_He was deeply absorbed in his book, slouching on the worn-out leather couch of their apartment, and pouting in concentration as he tried to understand the logic behind the scientific hypothesis he was reading about. Something came into his field of vision, too close to his face and making him squint. He looked up at his girlfriend, who was holding something in front of him. He sighed and gently pushed her hand aside, but kept his fingers around her wrist._

_“You’re going to hurt my eyes, Lissa.”_

_“Sorry sorry.” She giggled “But you might want to have a look at this.”_

_His gaze drifted to the object she was holding, a white and blue plastic stick with a small screen on it. It looked like a thermometer. He lifted an eyebrow and took it from her hands, observing the two lines displayed on the said screen. So she was sick in the end, with all those mornings she had thrown up her breakfast. But why didn’t this thermometer display an actual temp-_

_Wait._

_His eyes flicked back to her in a fraction of second, and she smiled brightly, a faint blush spreading on her cheeks._

_“Guess what?” She chirped._

She had also carried his child. He couldn’t be more proud of her, of who she was, of who she had become. He wanted to spend the rest of his life by her side. He nervously fidgeted with the present he had in the pocket of his suit trousers.

 

“I love you too.” He replied tenderly.

 

\--

 

“Wow, your ring is so pretty Lucina!”

She blushed faintly and smiled “Thanks.”

 

Chrom lifted his head from the magazine he was reading to look at the children who were sitting in front of the sofa, playing draughts calmly. A ring? What ring?

 

“Inigo gave it to me today.” She clarified, holding her hand out to Morgan so he could have a better look.

“Luci, come here a minute.” Chrom ordered, frowning faintly.

 

Lucina obeyed and stood up while being careful of not snagging the board game in the process. She came closer and he asked to see the ring, and she proudly showed him her hand, putting the other on her hip. It was made of silver, with a big amethyst circled by two smaller rubies. It truly was a beautiful ring.

 

Except it was a woman’s size.

 

Chrom frowned more and looked back at her, and she looked intimidated.

 

“Where did you get this ring?” He asked.

“I-I told you, Inigo gave it to me for Valentine’s Day.” She said, tensing faintly “Why?”

“And where did he get it?”

 

\--

 

All of her worries had vanished in half and hour.

 

Stahl was nervous but not awkward, and the two of them chatted eagerly while waiting for their food to be served. He had asked for her tastes before and picked the restaurant consequently, opting for someplace not too fancy but with a nice menu. There was no doubt he had already tried the place before, for he had managed to try out almost all of the town’s restaurants. They had started talking about work first – their common talking point – but had agreed to leave the subject aside as much as possible, since it was not a business dinner.

 

Stahl had originally studied to become a patissier, but had to give up on his studies to help his father with his pharmacy. It was only when his brother took over that he had started looking for another job. Technically, he had no right to work in a pharmacy since he had no training in medicine, but he had learnt on the job; once he was free from this duty, he had considered picking his studies where he had left them, but had not found the motivation to. That was how, going from one job to another, he had ended up working in Robin’s department.

 

“That was a wild ride, if I dare say.” She chuckled, playing with her empty wine glass.

He let out a small laugh “I guess so. How about you?”

“My story is less awesome.” She admitted.

“Oh, I’m sure you can make it interesting.” He said, picking up a piece of bread and eating it bit by bit.

 

            Robin watched him do for a couple of seconds, her gaze lingering on his green shirt as he ate. Green suited him well. Now she was taking the time to see him out of work, and in another context than just being colleagues, she realised that Stahl was, in fact, rather handsome. Handsome, nice, easy to chat with, and interesting. What had scared her the most was that he would bore her to death. Thankfully, it was not the case. She smiled at him and started telling her about her life in Ylisse, and how she had always liked to strategise and plan things. Being a human resources manager had not technically been her first choice, but the only place she could work at as a tactician or something of the sort was the army, and did not want to be involved with it in any way. At least, she had found a job where she could still order people around.

 

She did not mention Morgan, however. Stahl knew she had a son, and knew she was raising him alone; it was not a secret among her coworkers, and she was not ashamed of her condition. She just knew that having children from previous relationships often disheartened potential partners. Not that she had planned on dating Stahl, at least not right away. She just preferred avoiding the subject.

 

Their food came and they started enjoying their meal in silence. She did not complain about it; it was comfortable, they sometimes exchanged glances and smiles, or commented on the food.

 

“Say.” He finally asked, chewing a bite of his trout “How did you end up leaving Morgan’s father? If it’s not nosy of me, of course. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

So they were going to talk about her son in the end. Fine. She waved her hand “I don’t mind, really.” It was true. She did not feel pain or anger anymore, she had just gone along with it “I had dated the guy for a few years already. We were living together, it was a serious relationship, I think he would have even proposed at some point, but he didn’t want children. So when I accidentally got pregnant, things got complicated.”

“You didn’t want to get an abortion?” He asked out of sheer curiosity.

She shook her head “At first, I hesitated. But I felt ready, somehow. I liked the idea of life growing inside of me, you see? I thought I could convince him to change his mind, but unfortunately I didn’t manage to.”

Stahl frowned “Did he at least stay during the pregnancy?”

“He didn’t. But my mother was there to help me, so I was fine.”

“That’s still super mean of him.” He said after swallowing his food.

Robin shrugged “He wanted nothing to do with the baby, why would he even help in the first place?”

“And then?”

“I haven’t seen him since. I think he still lives in Themis.” She smiled gently “But to be honest, I don’t care anymore. He’s not part of my life, and will never be again. So why bother?”

Stahl cut a new piece of his fish “What if he comes back, let’s say, tomorrow? What if he shows up at your door and says he wants to raise his son?”

 

Robin blinked and crossed her arms on the table. That was an interesting question, to which she had no answer. She had never thought about it, actually. The likelihood was so low she had never considered such a thing could happen someday. What was odd was Stahl’s genuine curiosity about Morgan. Or more like, about how Morgan came to be.

 

“To be fairly honest with you, I don’t know. I don’t think I’d let him in. I mean, he has not acknowledged him as his son, so he has no right to have his custody or anything. That being said, I’d still talk about it with Morgan. If he wants to meet his father, I won’t forbid him to do so.” She leaned her chin on her hand, smiling and drumming on the table with the other “Why are you so curious about this, though? Why would you worry about me getting back together with my ex, when tonight’s supposed to be about you?”

Stahl blushed but did not look away from her “I guess you’re right. I was just curious about your son.”

“Or more like, curious if Morgan’s father could be a potential rival?” She smirked. Gods, wearing lipstick made her two hundred percent more confident than the usual.

He shrugged, blushing more “I suppose you could say that.”

 

It was Robin’s turn to blush. She had not expected him to admit it so easily. That man kept on surprising her.

 

\--

 

“I can’t believe Frederick ditched us.” Emmeryn mumbled with a pout.

 

Phila let out a chuckle and rubbed her hand along her back softly. Both were lying on the couch at the Exalts’ house, the blond woman snuggling against her friend, her face buried in the crook of her neck. The fire was creaking in the chimney, creating a cosy atmosphere.

 

“Let him have his fun.” She ended up saying “Maybe it won’t go well and he’s going to show up at the door with a bottle of wine to make up for it.”

“I don’t want his date to go wrong…” Emmeryn replied “He’s picky with women, so Cherche is probably a nice girl.”

“I expect a full report though.”

“I do too. Same goes for Lissa.”

“Lissa? I suppose she’s out for dinner or movies with Ricken, isn’t she?”

 

Emmeryn propped herself up on her elbow to look at her, flashing her a playful smile. She brushed a finger along Phila’s nose, and gave it a small boop.

 

“He has a surprise for her.”

 

\--

 

            There was something disturbing with those glow-in-the-dark stars. Morgan pouted and held back a grunt, his arms crossed on his chest. He heard Lucina shifting in her bed next to him and sighing. There weren’t any constellations, those stars were stuck randomly on the ceiling; _that_ was the problem.

 

“Lucina?” He called in a low voice.

“Mmh?”

 

He did not say anything, and she turned around to face him in the dark.

 

“Yes, Morgan?”

“What would you do if your father started seeing someone?”

“Uh…” She took her time to think “Well, I don’t know? I suppose I don’t have anything to say about it, am I right?” He sighed and rubbed his hands on his face, and she sat up in her bed “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I just… I wonder what’s going to happen to my Mom.” He admitted.

“Are you scared?”

“I don’t know.”

 

He heard her bed creaking faintly, then felt his mattress dip as she climbed on it.

 

“Move aside.” She ordered.

 

He obeyed and she slid under the covers next to him. The bed was small, but he didn’t mind. Her hand patted the mattress until it found his, and she played with his fingers to make him relax.

 

“Do you remember I told you that my Mom is with another man now?” She asked softly.

“Yes.”

“Well, Gaius is a nice person. I like him a lot. But I didn’t like him right away, you see? I needed time to get to know him.” She explained.

“But weren’t you worried that… You know… Your Mom wouldn’t love you anymore? I know it’s stupid, because I know my Mom will always love me but…” The words died in his throat before he could finish the sentence.

“Well…” Lucina snuggled closer, until her forehead rested against his head as he kept on looking at the stars “I was. But I was four years old when I met him, you’re not a baby, Morgan.”

“I’m still younger than you.”

“One year, it’s not a lot.” She giggled. She rubbed her head against his “You know…” she took a long breath, trying to keep her tone steady “My Mom, she… There is…They’re going to have a…” her voice creaked at the word “a baby?”

Morgan turned to her, frowning in worry “Are you okay?”

“I…” He could feel her voice trembling “I… I don’t know…”

 

He turned around and pulled her into a tight hug, and she rubbed her face against his chest. He rested his cheek against her hair, rubbing her back to calm her down. She did not cry, but her fast breathing showed that she was about to. He did not say anything, for he didn’t know what he could even say to comfort her in the first place. So he just hugged her tight, until both of them fell asleep.

 

\--

“Robin, please.”

“No.”

 

She frowned at him and held her credit card out to the waiter without breaking eye contact.

 

“I’m paying for my dinner, end of story.”

Stahl gave in with a sigh “Fine…”

 

A smug smile made her way to her lips, and she proceeded to pay while he waited patiently for his turn. Something shiny on her left wrist caught his attention, and he observed the small triangle reflecting the lights discreetly.

 

“Nice bracelet.” he commented while pointing at it.

She froze for half a second, then blushed as she typed her pin code on the machine “Don’t try to distract me, Stahl.”

He chuckled “I swear it’s not my intention.”

 

He did not notice her discreetly rearranging her sleeve over her wrist when he paid for his share of the meal; as soon as they were done paying, they stood up and walked out of the restaurant. The night was cold, but thankfully there was no trace of wind. He cleared his throat and offered his arm to her. She smiled at him and rested her hand in the crook of his elbow as they started walking slowly. They had not planned anything after dinner, but an improvised walk around the city was not unwelcome.

 

If she had to review her entire evening, Robin would say it had been a nice one. She had a lot of common with Stahl, and even though they were disagreeing on some matters, they had listened to each other’s arguments calmly and tried to understand their respective points of view. It had been nice talking to him. For a minute, she regretted having refused to go on dates since Morgan’s birth. But she did not feel ready back then; she had needed time to accept the fact that she could still do anything for her son yet live her life as a woman. No one had told her it would be so complicated to learn how to make space for these two aspects of her life.

 

They rode back to her residence in silence, and he parked his car at the bus stop. It wasn’t like one would come at one in the morning. She chewed on her lower lip faintly. It was officially over. Her heart started beating slightly faster. What now?

 

Stahl cut the ignition and turned to face her with a faint smile “I hope you enjoyed the evening.”

She smiled back at him and nodded “I did. Thanks for inviting me.”

 

There was a second of silence, during which both averted their eyes. What should she do? What should she expect?

 

“Do you mind if… We do that again…some time soon?” He half-whispered, as if he did not believe in the words he was saying.

She scratched her neck “Well… I’m not against it... Let’s see where this goes.”

 

Stahl’s eyes widened in surprise as his lips slowly stretched in a large smile. Apparently, he had not expected her to say yes. She giggled at his beaming expression and pinched her lips to not smile too much.

 

“Anyway, I… I should go.” She said.

“Oh, right.”

 

She opened her door and put a foot outside when he called her back.

 

“Robin?”

“Yes?”

 

He bent forward and kissed her cheek, before smiling at her again.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She blushed, murmured something that was supposed to sound like a “thank you too” and got out of the car. She waited until it disappeared at the end of the street to finally breathe again, her shoulders dropping with the loudest sigh she had ever let out. It had gone well, at least. She started making her way back to the residence, and picked her phone in her pocket. She had a text from Chrom, asking her if she was okay. Of course he had sent her a text to check if she was okay. She typed her answer, then put the phone back in the pocket of her coat and walked faster in attempt to not let the cold crawl up her legs. Fifteen seconds later, her phone was ringing and she picked up.

 

“Hello?”

 _“Hey. So, how did it go?”_ Chrom asked.

“Are you genuinely interested or did you want to make sure _I_ was the one who sent you a text?” She chuckled.

_“A bit of both, I admit it. Are you still with him?”_

She swiped her card at the gate and got in “No, he just dropped me at the bus stop. Do you want me to pick Morgan up?”

_“No, it’s fine. He’s already sleeping anyway.”_

She glanced at his building and saw light coming from one of the apartments of the first floor “And you’re still up.”

_“I wanted to make sure you’re okay first.”_

Robin smiled and stopped walking, facing the building “Don’t forget to turn the lights of the living room off.”

_“How would you know that?”_

She saw the window open and he appeared at the balcony. She waved at him “I might or might not check my neighbour’s building at night, like a certain someone.”

He giggled as he leaned on the white guardrail _“Gods, how many times are you going to tease me with this? And what would you have done if the light weren’t coming from my apartment?”_

She shrugged “Well, I would have felt stupid.”

 

They stayed silent a second.

 

_“You haven’t answered my question, though. Did it go well?”_

“It did. I even agreed to a second date.”

 _“That’s nice, congrats.”_ He turned around to check something inside, then turned to her direction again _“It’s late, you should go get rest.”_

“Yeah… Thanks for babysitting Morgan.”

_“You’re welcome.”_

“Well… Goodnight?”

_“Goodnight.”_

 

\--

 

Olivia checked her watch. School was over, and her son would be at the gate in a couple of minutes. She’d help him with his homework once home, then wait for her husband to come back so he could help her with dinner.

 

“Good afternoon, Olivia.”

She jumped in surprise and turned around “Oh, good afternoon Chrom.”

He smiled at her as he crossed his arms “I wanted to talk to you this morning, but you had already left when I dropped Lucina.”

“A-ah? What’s the matter?”

He grabbed his wallet and pulled a ring out “I believe this is yours?”

 

She took the jewel from his hands and observed it. An amethyst circled by two rubies on a silver ring. Exactly like the one Kellam had given her for her 25th birthday. Her eyes widened and she looked at him confusedly. How come _he_ had her ring? She had not worn it in months.

 

“Where did you find it?” She asked him.

Chrom pointed at Inigo, who had just appeared at the gate with Lucina “You might want to ask your son.”

“Hi Dad.” Lucina said as they joined them. Inigo nodded at Chrom, and gave his mother a smile.

Olivia frowned and held the ring out in front of his eyes “Inigo, Lucina’s dad just gave this back to me. Do you have an explanation?”

Inigo gasped and looked at Lucina, who looked down at her feet and mumbled “I didn’t know Dad would take it…”

“Inigo?” Olivia insisted.

“I-I..” He started, tears forming instantly at the corners of his eyes “I wanted…” he sniffled as they rolled down his cheeks “I just wanted to give Lucina something for Valentine’s Day…”

The little girl took his hand and squeezed it, on the verge of crying too “He has the right to give something too!”

 

Both parents glanced at each other. Chrom gave Olivia a sorry smile as she sighed then knelt in front of her son.

 

“Inigo, I understand you want to be nice to Lucina, but this is stealing.”

“I didn’t steal it!” Inigo argued between two sobs.

“Stealing does not always mean taking from a shop without paying, you know?” Chrom explained with a tone he wanted sympathetic “This ring belongs to your mom, not you.”

“You never wear it!” He told his mother while wiping his face with the sleeve of his coat.

Olivia sighed “It’s not a reason, Inigo. If you wanted to give Lucina a present, you should have told me. You can’t take things from my jewellery box like that, do you understand?”

“So I’m going to go to prison?”

“I don’t want him to go to prison!” Lucina cried.

 

And here they went for a duet of crocodile tears. Chrom felt bad for finding it cute; but Inigo had good intentions, he just didn’t know how to proceed, and his clumsy way of trying to please his daughter was adorable. He knelt next to Olivia and put his hand on the little boy’s shoulder, requesting his attention.

 

“Listen to me, Inigo.” He said calmly “You know that I’m a policeman, right?” He waited for him to nod before continuing “So, as a policeman, I can assure you you are not going to go to prison. But it is important that you understand that you can’t take things from your parents before asking for their permission first. Okay?”

“O-okay…” He muttered, and Olivia handed him a tissue to blow his nose.

“So now, you have to apologise to your mother, understood?”

 

Inigo hiccupped and wiped his face again, before muttering apologies to Olivia. She pulled him into a hug and he squeezed her tight. Lucina kept on looking at the ground, wiping her eyes from time to time.

 

“We’re going to find a present for Lucina this weekend, how about that?” Olivia suggested “You’ll give it to her on Monday.”

 

Inigo nodded and she gave Chrom a smile, then mouthed a _thank you_. He smiled back at her, then stood up to take Lucina in his arms. She pouted at him and looked away, visibly annoyed and mad at him. He sighed and made exaggerated sorry faces at her, until she started giggling.

 

“Sorry I took the ring, baby, but I had to.” He whispered and kissed her temple, before letting her down and turning to Inigo and his mother “Lucina loves dragons and knights, but I suppose you know this already. Just keep it in mind. Now let’s go back before we miss the bus.”

“Bye, Inigo.” Lucina muttered.

“Bye, Lucina.” He replied.

Olivia stood up “Thanks again, Chrom.”

He smiled brightly at her and saluted her as they walked away “My pleasure, Madam!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the ring thing with Lucina actually happened to my little sister when we were kids. There was this boy who was head over heels for her and one day she came back with a woman's ring, my mother was so confused! She gave the ring back to the boy's mother, and to this day it's still a memory that makes us laugh a lot. They were younger than Luci and Inigo though, I think they were 6 when it happened. My sister was so popular among the boys of her class when she was in primary school I'm still shocked tbh (and I was lowkey jealous also)
> 
> Should I add Stahl/Robin in the tags also? Since technically nothing happened except a date?


	6. Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m happy to hear that.” She said warmly. As soon as they passed the gate, she gasped “Oh! Let’s take a picture together!”  
> Robin turned around, looking at her in confusion “Right now? In front of the school? Why don’t we wait to find someplace nicer?”  
> Aversa waved her hand as she picked her phone from her pocket “Nah, I’ll take lots of them. It’s not everyday that I get to see my nephew!” She kneeled next to Morgan and wrapped her free arm around his shoulders, inviting Robin closer with a move of the hand “Come here! I want you in the picture as well!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of update! I'm trying to switch between my studies and fics as much as I can!

            Robin had not realised she had been half awake until she heard the door of her room creak slowly. Her mattress dipped faintly, and a small warm body snuggled against her back, under the covers. The corner of her lips twitched ever so faintly; being spooned – even though it was by the littlest teaspoon ever – was still a pleasant feeling. Morgan nuzzled between her shoulder blades and wrapped an arm around her waist, although his hand barely reached her stomach. They stayed like that a few minutes, until Robin lazily started turning around to lie on her back, and he climbed on top of her to bury his face in the crook of her neck. She laced her fingers on his back and kissed his hair.

 

“Did you sleep well, sweetie?” She whispered.

 

            He nodded against her skin with a hum and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She held him closer, kissing his temple and hair from time to time. His breath was slow and even in her neck; he was probably on the verge of falling asleep again. Cuddling with her son on Saturday mornings was something that happened often and that she always looked forward to. He loved physical displays of affection and hugging the people he felt close to was a rather recurrent thing, even when they did not return them. Lucina, for example, had been rather shy with him at first, but had slowly started returning his affectionate gestures. Cuddliness was another trait Robin shared with Morgan, and she was more than delighted by that fact. She squeezed him closer and kissed his temple again.

 

            An unusual ringtone coming from her phone startled them, and she lazily patted the bedside table in search for the device. If she recalled well, that was the Messenger ringtone, implying it was an international call, or someone who did not have her phone number. Usually, there was only one person who used that method to reach her. She checked the screen, squinting her eyes at the bright light.

 

Bingo.

 

“Hey Aversa.” She said as soon as she picked up, her other hand lazily brushing up and down Morgan’s back, who enjoyed the vibrations of her voice against his face.

_“Hi Robin! It’s been a while! I hope I’m not disturbing?”_ Her stepsister greeted from the other side of the line.

“You’re not. How are you? Do you need anything?”

 

Aversa rarely called, usually for birthdays and Christmas, so suddenly contacting her was rather unusual. Robin couldn’t say they were close, but it was not because she had a grudge against her own father that she had to be mean to his current wife and stepdaughter. She was not that puerile. And despite her extremely outgoing and somewhat flirty personality, Aversa was rather nice.

 

_“I’m super fine, thanks. I called because I’ll come to Ylisse for a business trip next week, so I thought that maybe we could meet up?_

 

Oh. She had not expected that.

 

“I can’t go to Ylisstol, I have lots of work and I can’t leave Morgan alone.”

_“I can make a detour, don’t worry. I won’t stay long, though, just an afternoon. If you don’t want to, I understand.”_

“No no, it’s fine. When will you come, exactly?”

_“I can arrange my schedule, so tell me which day suits you the most.”_

“Uh…” She pinched the bridge of her nose, reviewing her plans for the week mentally “Does Wednesday sound good? We can go eat somewhere nice after I pick up Morgan from school.”

_“By the gods, he’s going to school already??”_ she gasped.

Robin chuckled “Of course, he’s seven!”

_“It’s really been a while, last time I saw him he was like, barely three I think?”_

“…Wow, I last came to Plegia five years ago?”

Aversa giggled _“Apparently! Well, I’ll keep you updated, but let’s settle for Wednesday for now. Does that sound good?”_

“Yup.”

_“See you then.”_

“See you.”

 

            Robin hung up and sighed, before dropping her phone on the mattress to resume hugging her son. She was not feeling good about it. Aversa had never done anything wrong to her, but getting in touch with her meant getting in touch with a side of her family she did not really want to meet, especially whenever she went to Plegia. At least, they’d meet in charted territory, and for a not extended amount of time. Morgan slowly sat up on her stomach and rubbed his eyes with an adorable yawn.

 

“Who’s coming on Wednesday?” He asked sleepily.

“Aversa. Do you remember her?” Robin replied, combing her fingers in his hair.

He shook his head “No. The name yes, but not her face.”

“You were probably too young to remember.”

“She’s your sister, right?”

 

Something stung inside Robin’s chest. _No._ No, she wasn’t. She did not consider her as such. Acknowledging her as a sister meant they had a relative in common.

 

“Mmh… in a way, yes.” She explained nonetheless “She’s not my sister _per se_ , because we don’t have the same parents, but she lives with my father, so that makes her my stepsister.”

“So the baby Lucina’s mom is going to have will be her stepsister?”

“Lucina’s mother is pregnant?” Robin asked, a bit surprised he knew such information.

He nodded “Yes, she told me the other day.”

Robin crossed her arms behind her head and looked at the faint lights filtering through the blinds “That baby will be Lucina’s half-sister – or brother.”

Morgan frowned and crossed his arms “I don’t understand the difference.”

“For example, if you have a half-sister that means that I’m the one who gives birth to her – or your father, potentially – but if you have a stepsister that means that her father is my boyfriend but she has another mother.”

He pouted “Family relationships are complicated.”

Robin laughed “Oh yes, they are!”

He looked up, humming pensively, then smiled at her “So… It means that, for example, Lucina could be _my_ stepsister, right?”

 

Robin choked on her saliva and started coughing loudly, sitting up suddenly to try breathing. Morgan rolled off her stomach with a yelp, and crawled back to her to gently pat her back. His honesty was going to kill her someday.

 

Lucina? His stepsister?

Technically, that was possible.

Realistically, she couldn’t bring herself to imagine such a thing. Because that meant…

 

“Are you okay, Mom?” Morgan asked.

She coughed a couple more times and nodded with a whisper “Yes, yes…”

 

…that meant Chrom and her could be a thing.

 

\--

 

“Do you want sugar, Ricken?” Chrom asked from the kitchen.

His brother-in-law’s voice was half-covered by the squeals of Lucina and Owain as they ran to the living room “Yes, please!”

 

            Chrom grabbed the sugar box and tucked it between his arm and his side, while he grabbed the two coffee mugs he had prepared very carefully. He made slow-paced steps back to the living room, and handed one of the mugs to Ricken, while Lissa grabbed the box to help him. She was waiting for her tea to cool down when her brother had prepared the remaining drinks, her hand absentmindedly playing with her lover’s under the table.

 

“There you go.”

“Thanks, Chrom.” Ricken said, then took the sugar Lissa handed him.

 

            His sister lived two hours away from his place, so they did not see each other very often. That did not prevent them from calling two or three times a month to get some news. In fact, when he was still living in Ylisstol, it was more complicated to see his siblings, so he did not regret his decision in the slightest. He needed to get away from his previous life and go back to his roots, to his family. It was comforting to have Lissa and Emmeryn’s support.

 

            The three of them chatted, mostly about work, although Lissa and Ricken seemed to exchange glances often, as if they were scheming something. Or more like, she was scheming something and he followed along. Ricken was not the type to initiate a prank or whatever it could be, but he was more than ready to participate when someone else – in other words, his partner – did. Chrom was about to ask them what was wrong when Lucina’s happy shriek pierced through his ears.

 

“Lucina!” He grunted, turning towards the couch with a frown “Please stop screaming!”

 

The little girl only glared at him, then turned around to resume playing with his cousin with a grumble, obeying nonetheless. Lissa lifted an eyebrow.

 

“My my, has my niece already reached the rebellious phase?” She snorted.

Chrom waved his hand with an exasperated sigh “She’s been mad at me for the past few days, she’ll get over it.”

 

The buzz of the doorbell cut their conversation, and Ricken lifted an eyebrow.

 

“You were waiting for someone?” He asked.

“Not to my knowledge.” Chrom replied while standing up. He walked to the interphone and picked up the receiver “Hello?”

_“Hello Chrom! It’s Morgan!! Is Lucina here?”_

He glanced at his daughter, who had not paid attention to him “She is, but she can’t come down to the garden. Do you want to come up and play instead?”

_“Can I?”_

“Sure. However…” His eyes met his sister’s and felt his cheeks heat up “Tell your mother that Lucina can’t come to the garden and I’m inviting you instead, so she won’t be worried, okay?”

_“Okay.”_

“Also, can you ask her to come over for coffee if she’s not busy?”

_“Okay! I’ll be back soon!”_

 

He heard the boy’s quick footsteps fade within seconds, and he hung up before walking back to the table. Thanks Naga he had made more coffee than necessary.

 

“Who was that?” Lissa asked, twirling her spoon in her tea, her chin resting on her other hand.

“Morgan, Luci’s friend. He wants to come and play with her.”

Her eyes lit up with a mischievous spark “Oh, isn’t he your cute neighbour’s son?”

He held back a sigh “He is. She’s coming over too, normally.”

Lissa squealed in happiness “Yay! I can’t wait to meet her!”

 

Somehow, he knew he shouldn’t have done that. Lissa would spend the rest of her time teasing him about it afterwards, and she would tell _absolutely everything_ to Emmeryn, meaning twice as more teasing. But on the other hand, it was like he needed some sort of validation, like he needed his sister to approve his friendship – or whatever that was – with Robin and tell him that yes, she was a good person. Chrom could be gullible some times, and cases where someone close had taken advantage of him were not rare in his life. Lissa had a good eye to notice this kind of behaviour. Or maybe he was just too oblivious.

 

\--

 

Robin lowered her arm from the bookshelf, looking at her son in surprise.

 

“He wants me to come over?” She repeated.

Morgan nodded vividly, obviously impatient to run back to building E to play with his friend “Yeah, he said she can’t come to the garden, so he prefers if I come up instead. He told me to tell you that if you were not busy you could come too. For coffee.”

“Oh, alright.”

 

She was rather surprised Chrom would invite her like that. But on the other hand, it was a normal thing to do, right? There was nothing strange in inviting your neighbour over for coffee. She glanced down at her dirty sweatpants. She’d have to change and look at least presentable. Morgan went to his room to shove a couple of toys in a bag of his, while she put on skinny jeans and changed t-shirts, opting for a burgundy oversized sweater to keep casual yet comfy. She checked herself in the bathroom mirror, quickly arranged her hair, then walked to the living room to put her sneakers on. There was no need to put make up on or do her hair, it was just coffee after all. Once the two of them were ready, they headed outside and she put her hands in the pockets of her trench coat while her offspring happily skipped towards the door of the building facing theirs. He was already speaking through the interphone when she joined him, and held the door for him when it buzzed open. It was Lucina who opened the door of the apartment, visibly surprised to see Morgan there.

 

“Hi!!” He chirped.

She blinked, visibly not aware of the fact he was coming over “Morgan?”

“Hi Robin.” Chrom said with his _freaking_ killer smile, opening the door completely to let them in.

“H-hey, I hope I’m not intruding.” She replied with polite grin.

“Not at all, come in.”

 

           Instead of running directly to Lucina’s room like they often did, Morgan waited in the entranceway, as if he needed her presence. As soon as she walked in, she realised Chrom had guests, a couple with a child, who was looking at Morgan in wonder. Dear Naga, she didn’t know he had guests. She should have worn something a bit fancier than an oversized sweater.

 

“Good afternoon.” She said nonetheless.

“Here’s Robin, my neighbour” Chrom said, closing the door behind her “Robin, here’s my sister Lissa and her companion Ricken.”

“Pleased to meet you.” She added.

 

Lissa stood up from her chair and walked to her, holding her hand out for a handshake with a huge smile.

 

“Pleased to meet you, Robin. Chrom told us a lot about you.”

“Did he?” She asked, eyeing him with an eyebrow raised as she shook her hand “I hope it wasn’t to diss me?”

She giggled “Absolutely not!”

“I’m outraged you could think so low of me!” Chrom teased dramatically, before chuckling along “Anyway, have a seat with us.”

“Owain, come say hello!” Ricken ordered.

 

The child walked to them and introduced himself proudly, to which Morgan answered with his own proud introduction. Lucina grabbed both of their hands and led them to her bedroom, leaving the adults alone. Robin sat at the table, facing Ricken, while Chrom walked back to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee for her. Lissa seemed to be the cheerful type of person, with a constant smile on her lips. Her blond hair was sticking up from her side braid and her eyes as pale as jade; she was physically the exact opposite of her brother, yet there was something in her features that unmistakably proved that they were siblings. Ricken seemed to be more composed than her, and was most likely the cool-headed one in the couple. They suited each other well.

 

“So! Tell us a bit about you, Robin.” Lissa chirped, resting her chin on her hand as she played with the spoon in her drink.

She smiled “What do you want to know?”

“Chrom told us your son is a friend of Luci’s?”

“Yeah, he’s wanted to befriend her since the first day of school.” She chuckled, then traced invisible lines on the tablecloth to illustrate her words “We take the bus to go to school, and Lucina goes the opposite way. So every morning he kept on waving at her, waiting for the right occasion to go talk to her. One day we got home at the same time, and he ran after her for some reason…”

“Because she had dropped her dragon plushie.” Chrom completed as he came back from the kitchen, handing a mug of coffee to Robin.

 

            She thanked him, and he sat down next to her. Somehow, talking to his sister felt less awkward than she had first thought. Lissa and Ricken were nice and interesting people, and chatting with them was really enjoyable. The conversation eventually drifted to the Valentine’s Day topic, of course. Chrom didn’t have a lot to tell obviously, since he had spent his evening looking after the children. Lissa and Ricken had picked a restaurant they had wanted to try out for a while now, and something shining in the blond woman’s eyes told her that it probably wasn’t the end of the story, but she didn’t say anything else. Robin, on the other hand, got the occasion to tell about her date with Stahl in detail. She had already spent two hours on the phone with her mother the following evening to talk about it, spilling out details that were probably not even necessary, but she had needed it. Now her speech was kind of ready and less awkward to tell. Chrom seemed really interested in what she was saying, and she did her best to ignore how his sapphire eyes seemed to pierce through her – why did she keep on comparing everyone’s eyes to gemstones, seriously? – intensely as she spoke. It made her a bit nervous, but the worst part is that she actually enjoyed the attention. It just made her a bit self-conscious. So she absentmindedly started fidgeting with the triangle at her wrist. Lissa’s eyes fell on her bracelet, and she gasped happily.

 

“Oh! Isn’t that the bracelet we chose together for Christmas, Chrom?”

He blinked, tearing his eyes away from Robin to come back to his senses “Mmh? Yes, it’s that one.”

“Oh right!” Robin realised “I recall he told me his sister helped him choose. Thank you so much, you really didn’t need to go this far for me!”

“Are you kidding me? These chocolates were _so good_ I had to help this ungrateful idiot to get you something back.”

“Hey, I’m not an ungrateful idiot!” Chrom pouted.

Robin chuckled, her cheeks turning slightly red “You really didn’t need to go that far for me…”

 

She needed to change the topic, and quick. Fortunately, Lissa had some jewels of her own, and she pointed at the silver ring on her left ring finger. It had four marquise cut light yellow gemstones, which where not set directly into the ring but spreading out. There was a fifth tiny black gem between them. It was not showy yet really fancy.

 

“I really like your ring.” She said, pointing at it “It looks like a butterfly.”

“That was the goal.” Ricken commented with a shy smile “It’s supposed to look like a swallowtail.”

“Because I love swallowtails!” Lissa clarified.

Chrom frowned pensively and leaned closer “Let me see?” She held her hand out to him and he took a closer look at the ring “I do not recall having seen that one before. Did you get it for Valentine’s Day?”

 

Lissa and Ricken looked at each other. They seemed to have a silent conversation, punctuated with insisting nods towards Chrom, shrugs and giggles. Ricken finally let out a huff with a smile.

 

“He’s _your_ brother, _you_ tell him.”

Lissa rolled her eyes “Fiiine.” She cleared her throat and smiled brightly at her sibling, her eyes barely showing the extent of her feelings “It’s an engagement ring.”

 

Oh.

 

Robin blinked. She had not expected that. That was really nice to hear, though. She liked hearing this kind of good news. She turned to Chrom, who was staring at his sister, totally dumbstruck. His gaze drifted to Ricken, who chuckled in embarrassment and scratched his neck, then back at Lissa who was beaming in happiness.

 

“You’re getting married…?” He finally muttered.

“Yes!” Lissa squealed “I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming! He went all out at the restaurant and I didn’t think for a single second that he would propose!”

Ricken took a sip of his drink to hide his blush “That’s because I always go all out for you.”

Lissa laughed, her cheeks turning to a similar color “You’ll never cease to surprise me!”

“Congratulations.” Robin said with her warmest smile, crossing her arms on the table.

 

Chrom silently stood up and walked around the table. He pulled Lissa up in his arms, crushing her into a tight hug, then lifted her and spun around, their happy laughter mingling. Robin smiled at the sudden display of affection. She wished she had a sibling whom she could share this kind of news with. She had her mother, for sure; but she wouldn’t have minded having a brother.

Well, technically, she had a sister in some way, but it wasn’t the same.

 

Lissa wrapped an arm around her brother’s shoulders and wiped his eyes with her sleeve. He looked so happy and delighted for them. Suddenly, Robin felt a bit out of place, as if watching them being so close was an intrusion in the intimacy of their family life. Which was completely stupid, yet she couldn’t help it. When she looked away, her eyes met Ricken’s, who nodded in sympathy. He probably knew how it felt, despite already being part of the family; and soon officially.

 

“So when are you getting married?” She heard Chrom ask. He let Lissa down to her feet, but still held her in his arms.

“During the summer! We haven’t set a precise date yet, but we’ll send the announcements asap.” She replied.

“I can’t believe it’s finally happening!!” He chirped, on the verge of lifting her again, making the other two smile at them. He let her go and cupped her cheeks with both hands “Mom would be proud of you.”

Her voice came out in a whisper “I know.”

 

She hugged her brother, more gently this time, and Ricken stood up to join in the hug. The mood seemed to have suddenly changed, going from glee to something more solemn and sad. Robin looked down at her drink, not knowing what to do. It was better to let them do without intervening. After a couple of minutes, Chrom released Lissa, wiped her tears then his, and the three of them sat back at the table.

 

“Why must you always ruin the mood?” Lissa joked between two sniffles.

“I was just saying the truth!” Chrom chuckled back.

 

His eyes were a bit red, and Robin suddenly felt the urge to comfort him. She didn’t like seeing her friends sad. But was it her place to give him a pat on the shoulder? Were they even close enough for her to do that? Her train of thoughts was stopped when Morgan walked into the living room, followed by Lucina and Owain, and patted her arm to get her attention.

 

“Mom?” He asked.

“Yes, sweetie?” She replied, looking at him.

“What’s the Ylissean word for _mercenary_? I tried to explain what it is to Lucina and Owain but they don’t know the word.” He pouted, visibly frustrated by his inability to make himself understood.

 

She looked up, humming pensively. Ah. It was on the tip of her tongue. She frowned with a grunt, racking her brains. Morgan looked at her expectantly, putting all his hopes in his mother’s knowledge. Behind him, the other two were waiting impatiently, eager to finally understand their friend’s words. Ricken cleared his throat.

 

“Isn’t it “soldier”?” He ventured.

Robin shook her head “Yes, but it’s slightly different. They don’t belong to armies and can switch camps.”

“A soldier without an army…” Lissa repeated, looking at the ceiling and tapping her lips pensively with a finger.

“You mean, a mercenary? One that gets paid to fight?” Chrom intervened.

“Yes!!” Robin gasped “That’s the one!”

“A what?” Morgan asked.

“A mercenary.” His mother repeated, looking at him again.

“Merce…”

“Mer-ce-na-ry.” She spelled, smiling.

 

Morgan repeated the word, and so did Lucina and her cousin. Owain couldn’t bring himself to say it, for it was a bit too complicated, and settled for a shortened “mercy”. The children hurried their way back to Lucina’s room with a chorus of thank you’s. Lissa wondered why they needed such a complicated word, and Robin huffed in amusement. Morgan had most likely dragged them in his incessant worldbuilding.

 

\--

 

The night had already fallen, and the only sound they could hear was their ragged breaths. Owain leaned against the nearest tree, taking sharp inhales. Morgan crouched down, resting his elbows on his thighs, panting heavily and sweat sticking his bangs to his forehead.

 

“Do you think we shook them off?” Lucina whispered between two shallow breaths.

“I think we did…” Owain replied.

“Let’s get going then.” Morgan said, standing up and dusting his large coat “The camp should not be far.”

“It’s hard to guess with all those trees around us.” She pouted “How will we know we’re in the right direction?”

“The stars will help us.” The young man said, pointing upwards.

Owain grunted “If we manage to see them through the branches, that is.”

 

Morgan stretched his arms, and the three of them got going again, carefully walking between the large trees. They did not have a lantern, making their journey harder, but thankfully the moon was full and gave them enough light to have an idea of their surroundings. They were still wary, alert and ready to draw their swords if their enemies were to catch up on them. Whenever they could catch a glimpse of the sky, the young man checked the stars to see where they were headed to.

 

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, lifting an arm to prevent his friends from going further. He crouched at the feet of a tree and leaned against the trunk to take a peek to their right. Lucina followed, squatting next to him, while Owain remained standing, his hand on the pommel of his sword.

 

“Did you see something?” She whispered.

He nodded, and took another look “I can see some light over there, we reached the camp. But there are people there.”

“Enemies?” Owain enquired.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“Let’s go closer.” Lucina said, pulling down her butterfly mask on her face.

 

The three of them tiptoed their way near the camp. The fire was still burning, and they spotted four people sitting around it. A prince, a woman whose coat was strangely similar to Morgan’s, a cleric and a mage. The four of them were chatting, waiting for their food to be ready.

 

So they had found the camp.

 

“It’s _them_.” Morgan announced, a hint of hope in his voice.

“Our parents?” Owain whispered in shock.

Lucina leaned above her friend to have a look “Yes. There’s no doubt about it.”

 

The four adults turned to them in a single move. They must have heard them talking. The prince smiled at them gently. He invited them closer with a move of the hand. The three friends exchanged glances, and silently agreed to walk towards them. Lucina would not be recognisable enough for them to realise she was the princess, or so she hoped.

 

“What brings you here?” the man asked.

“We’re travellers.” Lucina lied, for they should not discover their identities. They had reached this world incognito.

“With swords?” The mage asked, tilting his head to the side and checking out their equipment.

“We’re mercies.” Owain explained.

“Mer-ce-na-ries.” Morgan clarified.

 

They just had to pretend the camp was not theirs, and everything would be fine. The cleric leaned closer to the mage and told him something, and the man checked the watch at his wrist, then told her the time.

 

“We’ll have to go home soon.” She told Owain.

“Same goes for us.” The woman with the coat added, looking at Morgan.

 

The three children groaned, a duet of but moooom’s coming out of their mouths as they had officially ruined the mood of their game. Chrom smiled at Lucina and took his phone out of his pocket, urging her closer with a move of the hand. He took a picture of her wearing her butterfly mask, and sent it to her mother. It was a Christmas present from Gaius, and she liked wearing it to play.

 

Soon, everyone stood up to gather their coats and belongings. Their game was officially over for the day, but Morgan was glad they had set the basis and come up with a general idea of where it would go. Owain was the first to leave with his parents, waving goodbye to him and his cousin. He really hoped he would see him again. He had been a bit nervous at first, for he was two years younger than him and could throw a tantrum over anything – like five year-olds often did – but he had been super invested in the game without trying to control every aspect of it. And he was really fun. He had insisted to be called Owain The Dark and not just Owain, the same way he had given his plastic sword a lengthy name they had not bothered trying to remember. When Robin took his hand and they left Chrom’s apartment, he couldn’t help but glance up towards the balcony, where Luci was waiting and waving at him. He waved back and smiled to himself.

 

This afternoon had been fun.

 

\--

 

Stahl lifted an eyebrow upon noticing a small child sitting at his desk, a large coat draped over her shoulders with a big red woollen scarf which hid part of her face. Her hair was braided loosely, and she looked somewhere between dizzy and sleepy. She was drawing flowers on a white sheet of paper with one of his highlighters. Nowi walked to him, scratching her neck in embarrassment.

 

“Hey Stahl.”

He smiled at her “Hey.”

She gestured to the little girl sitting at his desk “Sorry about that. Since you start work half an hour after me, I thought I could use the desk in your absence. Here’s my daughter, Nah. She was sick last night and I couldn’t get someone to babysit her, so I brought her in.”

He lifted an eyebrow “You could have taken the day off, you know? Robin wouldn’t have minded.”

She pinched her lips “I know, but I didn’t want to give you extra work.”

 

The little girl lifted her head and looked at Stahl, before blushing faintly. She murmured a hello and grabbed her sheet of paper, before leaving his desk to go hide behind her mother. Nowi chuckled and gently ruffled her hair while she clung to her waist.

 

“See? She loves being with me.” She laughed.

“I still think you’d better go home.” Stahl sighed.

“That’s what I told her.” Robin said as she walked in.

 

They exchanged a smile. Since their date, they were less awkward around each other. They still had to come up to an agreement for the next one – dear Naga, he still couldn’t realise she had agreed to a second one – but other than that, he felt like they were growing closer day by day. Or maybe that was just him.

 

Nowi agreed to leave, but only after lunch. Nah followed her to her desk in silence, and curled up on her mother’s lap to doze off as she worked. Stahl observed them for a while, suddenly starting to realise how hard it was to be a parent _and_ an adult. He was still single and would love to have children, but seeing Nowi switching between the worker who answered the phone and the mother who rocked her daughter to sleep in seconds was - he had to admit it - impressive. Admiration for his colleagues grew by the hour, especially for Robin who – unlike Nowi – had to raise her son _alone._ A weird feeling tickled his stomach, but he pushed it away as quick as it came. It was way too soon to think about that.

 

But if she asked him, he would gladly help her raise Morgan.

 

\--

 

“Uh… Uhm… Lu… Lucina?”

 

The little girl lifted her head from her book, looking at her friend in utter confusion. She had been deeply absorbed in her reading, curled up in a corner of the library between large colourful cushions to have some peace, that she had not noticed Inigo walking to her. He was looking down, his brown bangs falling in his eyes and tracing random patterns on the carpet with the tip of his shoe. She closed her book, wedging her thumb between the pages to not lose where she had stopped.

 

“Yes, Inigo?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Here.” He blurted out, suddenly pulling something from behind his back.

 

It was a small fabric bag, with the name of a shop printed on it. She blushed faintly, a small smile stretching her lips. Inigo checked around him to see if nobody was around, then knelt in front of her as she sat up correctly. She took the present from his hands, waiting a few seconds before opening it. She was still mad at her father for taking Inigo’s jewel, but on the other hand she was happy that his mother had kept her promise and gone looking for a present to make up for the stolen-back-stolen-ring. He scratched his neck, his cheeks bright red, and averted his eyes to stare at a random poster on the wall above them.

 

“Happy… Happy Valentine’s Day…I mean, belated.” He muttered.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

 

She carefully undid the ribbons pulling the bag closed, and poured its contents in the palm of her hand. It was a bracelet, made of blue thread, whose ends were tied together and could be adjusted by pulling them. There was a pendant dangling from it, shaped like a crown. It looked lovely. Her smile widened and her eyes started sparkling.

 

“I love it!” She chirped.

Inigo sighed in relief “Great. I wasn’t sure you’d like it but…” He gestured at his own hair, his eyes finally meeting hers “I thought the color matched your hair…”

She caught one of her blue strands and held it next to the bracelet “It does.”

He gestured at her hand with a move of the chin “Do you want me to help it put it on?”

 

She nodded, and held her wrist out to him. He slid the bracelet on it, and pulled on the ends to make it fit. She checked it out with a satisfied smile, then looked back at him.

 

“Thanks.”

“You’re… You’re welcome.” He mumbled.

 

She hesitated, putting her hair behind her ear as she looked down, an awkward silence settling between them. She still didn’t have a present for him, and she felt stupid for it. She should have asked Morgan for an idea, since she had been officially sulking at her father for the whole weekend and refused to require his help to go to the mall. In the end, she just grabbed Inigo’s sweater and pulled him close to leave a peck on his cheek. When she let him go, he had turned bright red and started mumbling incoherent things. Lucina would have giggled at it if their bubble had not been burst by Severa plopping down beside them from nowhere, a hand on her chin and a smirk on her face.

 

“Hey lovebirds, wanna play tag?”

 

\--

 

_[12:13] Neighbour approved._

 

Emmeryn frowned at the mysterious message she had received from her sister half an hour before. What did that even mean? What neighbour? She typed an answer as she made her way out of the meeting room, quickly walking to the elevator in hope she would have the time to grab something to eat before going back to her hectic schedule.

 

[12:52] Care to explain? I don’t get it.

 

The answer came within a minute. Apparently, Lissa’s break was not over yet.

 

_[12:53] I went to see Chrom this weekend. I met Robin, the neighbour who gave him the chocolates for Christmas. She’s super lovely and really nice. He has 200% my blessing. Even her kid is adorable!_

 

Emmeryn rolled her eyes with an amused snort. Whenever Lissa played matchmaker, it always ended up in a complete disaster. She walked out of the building, and headed straight to the bakery on the other side of the road, hoping they still had sandwiches to sell.

 

[12:55] Don’t try to force it, maybe they’re just friends.

 

_[12:56] He won’t fool me, he has a crush on her, it’s written on his face. Like, he was staring at her so intensely when she spoke I felt like I was third wheeling them! Thanks Naga Ricken was there!_

 

Emmeryn lifted an eyebrow and quickly ordered one of the last remaining ham sandwiches she could get her hands on, typing with a hand while she pulled her wallet out of her bag with the other.

 

[12:58] Are you really sure of that? Because each time you thought so, you kinda ruined it for him :)

 

_[12:59] Come on Emm, he was 14 >.<’ It all went well with Sumia!_

_[13:00] Plus, I’m really sure this time. Wait until you see it and you’ll understand!_

_[13:00] Break’s over, gtg. Love you <3_

 

Emmeryn rolled her eyes, a smile stretching her lips. No need to watch TV series when her siblings were such a source of drama and entertainment.

 

\--

 

Robin did not bother looking at the door when she heard a knock on it.

 

“Come in.”

 

Stahl smiled at her as he opened it, although not entirely. He looked slightly confused, though.

 

“Hey. There’s this Plegian woman in the hallway who said she is waiting for you. At least that’s what the secretary told me on the phone.” He said.

 

Robin checked the time. Ah, she had forgotten it was Wednesday already. Aversa was a bit early, though. She closed all the tabs of her computer and turned it off, before grabbing her bag and heading out of the room while thanking him. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, her hand clutching on the strap of her handbag as she walked past him. Everything would be fine, she was just nervous over nothing. A warm hand gently grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop and pulling her out of her thoughts. Stahl looked at her with worried eyes, his fingers letting go of her wrist to brush their way down to her palm. He did not dare to hold her hand, and loosely held her back by the little finger instead.

 

“Hey, are you alright?” He said in a low voice.

She put a strand of hair behind her ear, averting her eyes “Yeah.”

He took a careful step closer “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I am.”

 

She gave him her best smile. She was just nervous, nothing worth getting worried for. She had to show him that she was fine. She hesitated a second, trying to find some kind of reassuring gesture that would not be too much given where they were and their definitely blurry relationship status, so she settled for brushing his bangs aside with the tip of her fingers and a smile. Which proved itself useless, for his hair fell back in its exact place the moment she moved her hand away from his face. He blushed ever so faintly, but did not look away from her.

 

“I’m meeting with my stepsister.” She explained “I haven’t seen her in a while, so I’m a bit nervous. That’s all. Don’t worry about it.”

He did not look so convinced but smiled back at her nonetheless “Okay. Have a nice afternoon, then.”

She nodded “Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

 

He let go of her hand, and she gave him a last smile before turning around and walking to the stairs, leaving him behind. It was only when she was out of his sight that she let out a sigh of relief, putting a hand over her heart hammering against her ribcage. She hated feeling fifteen again, her hormones taking over at the slightest romantic gesture she came across. Like, really? Getting all flustered because Stahl held her _pinkie_? Gods, she had been in long term relationships and even had a _child_ , how could she be so weak against mere hand-holding which _wasn’t even_ hand-holding? At least it had a positive impact: she was now more nervous about this than she was at the idea of meeting Aversa. She shook her head, trying to chase the awkward feelings away, and quickly rearranged her clothes and hair as she climbed down the stairs to the ground floor.

 

Aversa was there, quickly typing on the keyboard of her MacBook with her perfectly manicured nails, her legs crossed and her black heels shining. Even her make-up was perfect. _Everything_ about her was perfect. Damn, she had forgotten how shitty she felt next to her stepsister’s goddess-like body. And Robin was not, for once, dressed too casually, which said a lot about her self-esteem. As soon as the Plegian woman noticed her presence, she smiled brightly and closed her computer, which she put away in her bag before standing from the armchair she had been sitting on, and walked to her with open arms.

 

“Robin! It’s good to see you.” She chirped, wrapping her arms around her.

She returned the hug and patted her back “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m super fine! Gods, I’m so happy to see you, it’s been ages!”

Robin glanced at the secretary, who had frowned upon hearing them speaking Plegian, and smiled at Aversa “Are you ready to go? We have to get Morgan and then we’ll find someplace to eat. Does that sound good?”

“Perfect.” She replied as she let her go to retrieve her handbag.

 

As expected of Aversa, she was wearing black suit pants with a white, slightly see-through blouse, as if she had a meeting right after lunch. Well, when you worked for the Plegian government, you had to be ready anytime. Thanks Naga Robin had not chosen this kind of path; politics were too much for her.

 

She spent most of the bus ride listening to her stepsister, who ignored the staring of the people around them to perfection. Those were easy to recognise: curiosity, one or two angry (and racist) looks, and either captivated or aroused peeks. Aversa had quite some charm and presence, after all. But she did not take advantage of it, for she was more genuinely interested in Robin and what she had to say – when she asked her questions, that is. She silently prayed for their stop to come. With Morgan around, she’d feel a bit better, and probably more confident.

 

When they finally reached her son’s school, Aversa stopped speaking and checked the building with a dubious pout.

 

“This school doesn’t look like the perfect studying environment, if I may.”

Robin snorted “I know. I’ve been thinking of putting him in another school. Because trust me, sometimes their teaching is as bad as the building itself.”

“Is it?” She asked as they made their way inside.

Robin made a vague gesture of the hand “Yeah, some problems here and there that blew out of proportion for stupid reasons. Most of the time it was the school’s fault, though.”

“There are plenty of other schools in this city, why don’t you do it?”

“I’m waiting for the end of the year first. I can’t enroll him in somewhere else in mid-February.”

“Mmh… You’re not wrong.” Aversa said, checking out the damaged concrete of the courtyard “Damn, do they lack funds that much or what?”

Robin shrugged “Bad management, I guess.”

 

When they reached the door of the nursery, she knocked and both women walked in. At least the rooms looked more alive than the corridors. Robin called for her son, who ran to her and tackled her into a hug. Just feeling his tiny arms around her instantly made her feel better. She ruffled Morgan’s hair then gently pushed him towards his aunt.

 

“Morgan, this is Aversa.” She said.

 

Aversa was about to reply politely to him, but he walked to her and hugged her as well. She lifted her arms in surprise, a silent gasp escaping her lips, clearly taken aback by the sudden display of affection. Her astonishment quickly faded, though, and she squeezed the little boy close, beaming in happiness. Robin rolled her eyes with a smile and picked Morgan’s bag and coat up, waved goodbye at the caretaker, then started making her way out. She listened to the other two chatting happily behind her.

 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t remember you, Aunt Aversa.” Morgan pouted.

She chuckled “It’s okay sweetie, the last time I saw you you were a toddler, it’s normal. Do you like school?”

“I do!! I learn a lot of things and I have a lot of friends!!”

“I’m happy to hear that.” She said warmly. As soon as they passed the gate, she gasped “Oh! Let’s take a picture together!”

Robin turned around, looking at her in confusion “Right now? In front of the school? Why don’t we wait to find someplace nicer?”

Aversa waved her hand as she picked her phone from her pocket “Nah, I’ll take lots of them. It’s not everyday that I get to see my nephew!” She kneeled next to Morgan and wrapped her free arm around his shoulders, inviting Robin closer with a move of the hand “Come here! I want you in the picture as well!”

 

Robin smiled and joined them, kneeling next to Morgan as Aversa snapped a couple of pictures before checking them out. She nodded to herself with a satisfied grin, and put her phone back in her pocket as she stood up. She smiled brightly at her stepsister.

 

“Anyway, let’s go get some food, I’m starving!!”

 

\--

 

Chrom couldn’t say the weather was warm, but at least it was sunny and there was no wind. It made his patrol less unpleasant. Not that he disliked patrols, but he didn’t like when the weather was bad during patrols. Cordelia kept silent beside him, calmly checking their surroundings as they made their way throughout the park. It was still lunchtime, and there were a lot of people walking around and sitting on benches to make the best of those few minutes of peace. The sight of children playing here and there made him feel slightly guilty; if he could, he’d rather spend his Wednesdays with Lucina instead. At least his colleague’s daughter was with her, as well as Inigo. Speaking of the boy, his daughter had stopped sulking at him when she had come back with a brand new bracelet at her wrist, marking the official ending of the jewellery incident. Which had made his coworkers laugh a lot, by the way. Gaius had literally collapsed in laughter over the phone, forcing Sumia to pick up the device and take over the conversation because he was unable to articulate a word without bursting into laughter again.

Between him and her aunt Lissa, Lucina was going to hear about that story for _years._

 

“Hello Chrom!!!”

 

He blinked and shook his head, suddenly pulled out of his reverie by a familiar voice. The little boy was smiling brightly at him, brown eyes shining and a black and purple cape wrapped around his shoulders. Cordelia looked at him curiously, tilting her head to the side.

 

“Good afternoon, Morgan.” He replied with a large smile. It was impossible to avoid the boy’s contagious happiness “How are you? Are you with your mother?”

He pointed to a bench a few meters ahead of them “Yes! She’s over there with my aunt Aversa! She gave me this cape because she hasn’t seen me in a long time!” He explained, turning around to show them his costume. The hems were purple, and three eyes of the same color were staring at him. It clashed with the boy’s brightness, but it was still fun to see.

“It looks really nice, she has good tastes.” Chrom commented with a nod of approval.

 

Morgan giggled, then ran back to his mother and aunt. He could not hear their conversation, but he noticed him pointing at the two officers and the women turned towards them when he ran away to resume playing.

 

“So that’s the Robin Vaike keeps on teasing you about?” Cordelia half-whispered as they walked closer to them.

“Yes, and I totally forbid you to tell anyone about what you’re going to witness in the next minutes.” He grinned, then waved at Robin and her relative as they reached them “Good afternoon, ladies.”

Robin smiled shyly and put a strand of hair behind her ear “Oh, hi, Chrom. Fancy seeing you here.”

 

She gestured at the woman beside her, who was dressed like she was about to go to a meeting with a CEO or something of the sort. She had beautiful white hair and a dark skin, way darker than Robin’s. There was no doubt she was Plegian. He held his hand out to her.

 

“Chrom, I’m Robin’s neighbour. Here’s my colleague Cordelia.” He said with a smile. For a second, he wondered if he shouldn’t have spoken Plegian, just in case.

However, she replied in perfect Ylissean when she shook it, although with a small accent and a predatory smile “Aversa. I’m Robin’s sister. I’m on a business trip in Ylisse, so I took some time to pay her a visit.”

He looked at his friend – was she a friend? He supposed he could consider her as such -  “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Father’s side.” She shrugged.

 

Oh, _that_ sister. He recalled having heard about her when they had gone for lunch together a few weeks before. No wonder why they didn’t really look alike.

 

“Speaking of sisters.” He continued, trying to not feel too self-conscious under Aversa’s staring “Lissa told me she was happy to meet you. And apparently my nephew keeps on talking about Morgan all the time.”

“What a surprise.” She chuckled, although she seemed surprised to see him talking to her “Morgan enjoyed playing with him too. Thanks for having invited us, by the way.”

“Robin told me you have a daughter?” Aversa purred with a small smirk.

“I do. She and Morgan are close friends.” Chrom explained.

“It must be hard to raise her alone…” She continued, giving him a languid look.

“Not harder than raising Morgan alone.” Robin interjected, frowning at her.

He awkwardly cleared his throat “Uh, yeah, it’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“You must feel so lonely…” The woman sighed, raising a hand to her cheek.

“Aversa.” Robin hissed, her cheeks bright red.

“What are you complaining about? You have a boyfriend.” She teased.

“I-I don’t have a boyfriend, stop talking nonsense!!” She whined, hiding her blushing face behind her hands.

“That’s not what you were telling me half an hour ago.”

 

Aversa seemed to enjoy embarrassing Robin a lot. He should not be laughing about it, really, especially since she teased him as well, but his friend’s flustered face was… Well, cute.

 

Chrom cleared his throat again “If I remember well, they just went on a date for Valentine’s Day. That doesn’t mean they’re dating, am I right?”

“Exactly!” Robin commented, looking at her “He’s right!”

Aversa ignored her sister’s complaints and crossed her legs “What about you, Chrom? What did you do for Valentine’s Day?”

His eyes met Robin’s, who looked down “Oh, I watched over Morgan for the evening.”

The Plegian woman gasped and nudged her sister “Robin! How dare you deprive such a charming man from his amazing romantic evening?”

“No no! It’s okay, rea-“

Cordelia pulled him by the arm “Oh, have you seen the time? We should get going, duty calls! It was a pleasure talking to you, ladies. See you soon!”

 

Without letting them the time to answer, she pulled her coworker away, walking at the double to avoid further awkwardness. Chrom glanced at the two women from the corner of the eye, and saw Aversa waving goodbye at him with a bright smile. Robin nudged her the second after, and the two started bickering, under Morgan’s confused stare.

 

“Hey, what’s up with you?” He asked Cordelia.

“I’m saving your ass, idiot.” She mumbled.

 

\--

 

_By the third month of pregnancy, the embryo, now called a foetus, measures between five and eight centimetres long. The face is well formed, and the limbs are visible. An ultrasound can help detect the sex of the baby, and the heartbeat can be heard as well!_

 

Lucina brushed her fingers on the simplified drawing of a foetus on the page of her book. She had started reading it out of curiosity, wondering what could be happening in the belly of her mother right now. She still didn’t know if she was going to have a brother or a sister, but she did not mind. It just bothered her that she didn’t see her belly grow. Pregnancies were fascinating.

 

Well, she was also scared, terribly scared. Despite Morgan’s words, she had the lingering dread that, maybe, this baby would take too much of her mother’s time, and that she wouldn’t have anything left for her.

 

It was stupid. She knew it.

 

So she searched. Pregnancies, how babies grew up. She tried to understand, tried to make it less scary. She had even found a few books about how to become a good big sibling in the school’s library. They comforted her, for they often said that even if babies required more attention, it did not mean they were more loved. That love was shown in different ways as children grew. Her mother still loved her, despite the distance and the fact she’d soon have another child.

 

“What’s that book about?” Severa asked, resting her hands on her knees and looking over her shoulder.

Lucina tilted her head to her, studying her curious expression as she replied “Babies.”

The little girl made a face “Urgh. Babies are gross. They scream all the time and they can’t do anything on their own!”

 

Lucina remained silent, looking at her friend with a perplexed expression. She was right, in a way. Babies screamed for no apparent reason, and except holding things tightly with their tiny hands, they couldn’t do much. But her recent readings proved that things were not that simple. Convincing Severa was another story, though. She was very stubborn.

 

“I guess.” She finally said.

“Why are you interested in that, anyway?” she smirked “You want to make babies with Inigo?”

 

At that, Lucina felt her cheeks burning in embarrassment. No! She was just curious! There was no ulterior motive behind this!

 

“What-what are you talking about! It’s not that at all!!” She stuttered, closing her book and holding it to her chest, as if hiding it from her friend’s eyes would make her forget about it “I don’t even know how babies are made!”

“Dunno either.” Severa shrugged as she sat cross-legged beside her, observing the boys playing soccer in the courtyard absentmindedly “When I asked my dad, he just looked away and grunted something like “go ask your mother”, so I went to ask my mom and she just blushed really hard and told me she’d tell me about it later. From what I know parents have to love each other lots and hug naked.”

“Is that all?” Lucina asked, tilting her head to the side. It seemed rather simple compared to all the things that went on during the next nine months.

“I guess there are more things that happen, but I’m not sure I want to know. Just seeing people kissing on TV makes me go “blerg”.” She grimaced in disgust “Thanks Naga my parents don’t do that in front of me.”

 

In comparison, Lucina’s mother and Gaius kissed often, but not like the people on TV. They just pecked each other’s lips, like they would peck her cheeks when she went to bed. She found it cute. Actually, she wondered how it felt like to kiss someone. Not that she was looking forward to it, but it made her curious.

 

“Maybe there are different ways of kissing. Like, a special kiss that helps making babies?” She wondered out loud.

Severa shrugged, jaded “No idea. I don’t really care, since my parents don’t want another one.”

“How do you know?”

“They have too much work, and apparently things were hard for my mom when I was born, so they decided to not have another one.”

“My mom is having a baby.” Lucina admitted, looking down.

“I know.” Severa replied as if it was the most natural thing to do.

The little girl lifted her head “Uh? How do you know?”

She snorted “Our moms call each other a lot, remember? I think mine was the first person she told when she found out about it. So yeah, I know.”

“You’re not… mad at me for not telling you?” She ventured. Severa could throw a tantrum over anything, seeing her keeping calm over this kind of secret was rather odd.

“Why would I? It’s a baby, I don’t care about babies.” She stretched her arms then stood up, dusting her pants. She held a hand out to Lucina “Come on, let’s go play soccer with the boys.”

 

Lucina nodded with a smile, and put the book away in her bag before grabbing Severa’s hand and standing up.

 

\--

 

Robin let herself fall face first on her bed, the box springs squeaking under her weight and one of her pillows falling to the ground in the process.

 

_Gods._

That afternoon spent with Aversa had gone better than expected, but it had also been more emotionally exhausting than she had thought. Thankfully, she could not stay for dinner, and have to leave by 6pm. Which had been a relief, in a way.

 

She felt bad for feeling awkward around her, when she was doing her best to get along with her. Especially since that she was, _surprise motherfucker_ , officially her sister now. Urgh.

 

_Robin put her fork down, staring at her in shock and her mouth hanging open “My father did_ what _?”_

_Aversa_ _beamed, her Colgate-white teeth showing “He officially acknowledged me as his daughter, so we’re legally sisters now!”_

_Morgan grunted and rolled his eyes as he slumped dramatically in his chair “That’s it, I’m done with family relationships.”_

_His aunt lifted an eyebrow at him and Robin chuckled, trying to ignore the feeling of despair that settled in her stomach “I explained the difference between stepsiblings and half-siblings, but he has troubles getting his head around it.”_

_She smiled at him “Oh, well, now it’s easier sweetie. Your mother and I are officially sisters now, because your grandfather has signed a paper that says I am his daughter, even if he’s not the one who made me. We’re sisters, not by blood, but by law.”_

_“I… think I understand.” He mumbled._

It wasn’t bad news _per se_ , but it just made things even more complicated. Now it meant that whenever things went wrong with her father, Aversa could be dragged in it, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. She loved her father as her own? So be it. But Robin did not and it was a hard thing to deal with. Really, how could Aversa appreciate that trashbag of a man?

 

She supposed that hers had probably been even more of a trashbag than Validar. It was the only explanation. Actually, she did not even want to know. The further she stayed away from her family in Plegia, the better off she’d be. She had tried for years and years to understand and get along with her father, but in the end it hurt her more than anything. The day she had decided to let go, everything had gone for the better.

 

But whatever she did, he always, _always_ , tried to get back at her. To hurt her mother, to hurt her. She didn’t know why he held so much love and resentment for her at the same time.

 

_“You know, Dad would like to meet Morgan someday.” Aversa said as they waited for her cab, the two of them standing next to each other. The little boy was trying to balance on the edge of the pavement, his arms spread as he took slow steps, out of hearing range._

_“Well, I don’t want him to.” Robin replied curtly._

_She looked a bit disappointed “Why?”_

_“Because.”_

_“That’s not a reason.”_

_“Because I don’t want to. He has never been there for me, so I don’t want him near my son and trying to make amends by playing the “super nice grandfather”. You have him in high esteem, and I respect your opinion, but I don’t share it.”_

_“But…”_

_“I don’t have a father anymore.” Robin hissed “I do acknowledge you as my sister, but I refuse to have anything to do with him. So please respect my decision, Aversa.”_

_She sighed “Fine. But please consider it. He really wants to meet him.”_

_Robin’s answer was an unconvinced hum._

No. No way in hell she’d do that. She refused to let him close to her son. He was too poisonous. The less Morgan was involved in this familial shitstorm, the better it was for him.

Family relationships were complicated, and she wanted him to avoid that at all costs.

 

She resumed reviewing her afternoon. Except the sensitive subject that family was, it had gone rather well. Aversa had been nice to Morgan, Morgan seemed to appreciate his aunt, and they had had a lot to catch up on so they had talked a lot. She rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. It had gone well, yeah.

 

She frowned.

 

Oh, maybe except that time at the park where she had obviously tried to hit on Chrom for the sole sake of making her jealous. Or maybe she was serious, but she still did it on purpose. Because she had kept on teasing her about it afterwards, claiming that the neighbours were _obviously_ crushing on each other.

Except that things were not so easy. She had Stahl. And what proved her that it was reciprocal? Chrom was nice with everyone. What would _even_ prove he had a crush on her?

 

She put her hands on her face and groaned loudly. Why was this so complicated? Yes, Chrom was charming. Yes, Chrom was an interesting person to talk with. But hey, so was Stahl. Except that she had known Chrom for a few months, Stahl for a few years.

 

Still, she couldn’t have helped but feel flattered – and slightly smug, she had to admit – when Chrom had ignored all of Aversa’s advances and talked to _her_ instead. She didn’t know if that crush thing was true – damn, just thinking about it made her stomach twist – but at least she had appreciated that he had not pushed her aside just because her sister was good-looking and flirting openly with him.

 

What had she tried to do? Prove her something? Except confusing her, nothing much had happened. Robin sighed and crawled lazily to her bedside table to turn the lamp on, then stood up to turn the main one off. She slid under her covers and checked her phone one last time before going to bed. She had a facebook notification saying that Aversa had changed her cover picture, which was the one they had taken together in front of Morgan’s school. Despite having been taken hastily, it looked good. She smiled and liked the picture, then checked the message she had received from Stahl.

 

_[22:18] Hey, I hope you had a nice afternoon._

 

She smiled and typed her answer at a snail pace.

 

[23:02] It went well. I worried for nothing. I should go to bed, see you tomorrow.

 

She barely held back a squeal like the fifteen year old she was when the answer came.

 

_[23:03] I’m relieved then, can’t wait to see you tomorrow ;)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small reminder if you're lost: Lucina, Severa and Inigo are 8, Morgan 7, and Owain 5. Nah is supposedly 7 but I'm still not sure of that yet.
> 
> Also, I like to leave Easter Eggs in my fics, so if you're familiar with the other fics I write, you might have spotted the one I put in this chapter :)
> 
> (As I kid, and even now, I always liked pregnancies. It's fascinating this ability we have to literally create a tiny humans from scratch. So as I kid I read and reread that book we had in our school's library, but the other kids kept on making fun of me saying "Hey, who are you planning to have kids with?" when I was just, you know, trying to understand how babies became babies? It's still kind of a bad memory, so I tried to go soft with Severa because she doesn't mean harm.)
> 
> THIS IS SLOWLY TURNING INTO A LOVE TRIANGLE BETWEEN ROBIN STAHL AND CHROM THIS IS WAS NOT PART OF THE PLAN I'M SORRY


	7. Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She smirked “What, you’re going to arrest me, officer?”  
> His face suddenly turned beet red and mumbled something that sounded like “That’s not…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooaaaah I don't even know where to start. I'm so sorry for not posting anything for months. I had my graduate paper to finish, then went to Japan for a while, then started the new semester without having a second to breathe. I haven't had the time to write or draw a lot since September. I wrote 3/4 of this chapter during the summer, but I got stuck when it came to the last part.  
> Now it's 2.30AM, I've written SEVEN FREAKING PAGES IN ONE GO AND I HAVE NO REGRETS
> 
> Enjoy and let's pray this won't go into a six months hiatus again haha. Don't forget to comment and tell me what you liked about the chapter!

            Gaius was gently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, yet she couldn’t say if it was out of habit or because he had sensed her nervousness. She never knew with him. He looked laid back but he was observant, although he also had his oblivious moments. Sumia absentmindedly brushed her hand on her now quite visible belly and took a deep breath. Lucina’s plane had landed ten minutes before, and some passengers were already walking past them to retrieve their luggage. Children under a steward’s supervision always got out of the plane last.

 

            Her daughter came in sight five minutes later, and waved at them as soon as she saw them. She informed the steward that her guardians were there, pointing at them from afar. The man looked at them, and Sumia nodded with a polite smile. He let the little girl go, and she skittered to them, her bag bouncing on her shoulders as she did so. Sumia knelt to the ground – although with a bit of difficulty – and Lucina hugged her tight.

 

“Hi Mom!” She chirped.

“Hello Lucina.” She replied, kissing her temple “How are you? Did the flight go well?”

She let her go and nodded “Yes, it did.”

“What about me?” Gaius whined dramatically, resting the back of his hand over his forehead “Do you love me no more, o sweet princess Lucina?”

The little girl chuckled and stood up to tickle his sides “Of course I still do!”

 

            Gaius yelped at the unexpected attack and grabbed his sides to avoid further tickling, making Lucina laugh. He growled like a monster and lifted her in bridal style, and she let out a half-laugh half-cry as he bent her so her head got close to the ground. Sumia watched the exchange with a warm expression, relishing in their laughter. Putting a hand on her knee, she stood back up with great care and patted her companion’s shoulder, who was now busy giving Luci a raspberry on the cheek.

 

“Shall we go? You’ll have all the time in the world to play together at home.”

He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her cheek, while letting the little girl slide back to the ground “Yup! Let’s go get the miss’ suitcase.”

 

Lucina had gotten taller, she noticed. She had also lost another milk tooth, the new one already showing on her gum. When she held her hand as they walked out of the airport, a blue bracelet at her wrist caught her attention. It was rather pretty.

 

“That’s a beautiful bracelet.” She commented.

Lucina smiled shyly, her cheeks growing red as she put a strand of her hair behind her ear “Thanks.”

 

The exchange didn’t go unnoticed to Gaius, who nudged her weakly and wiggled his eyebrows.

 

“And who did you get this from~? A boyfriend? Girlfriend?” He warbled.

“From a friend.” The child mumbled, looking down at her feet.

“Gaius, stop embarrassing my daughter, will you?” Sumia chided, although with a smile.

 

It was about time he understood that prying only made her dig her heels in and stop talking. Only patience worked; Lucina would talk about it on her own initiative. It wasn’t because she saw her less often than before that she didn’t know how her daughter worked. The child squeezed her hand lightly in gratitude, and Sumia let it go to grab her by the shoulders instead, smiling to herself.

 

She already had her little theory about that bracelet, anyway.

 

\--

 

“Homework?”

“Okay.”

“Slippers?”

“Okay.”

“Toothbrush?”

“Okay.”

 

            Robin and her mother kept on listing all of Morgan’s belongings, both standing in front of the trunk of Morgana’s car. The little boy was pacing up and down next to them. Winter holidays had come sooner than expected, and since Robin couldn’t take a few days off to take care of her son, he would go to his grandmother’s place for the next two weeks. She had spent the weekend with them, and was about to drive all the way back to Themis. Her mother did not visit often, but she always enjoyed her presence.

 

“Hi Chrom!!!” Morgan suddenly shouted.

“Morgan!!” Robin snapped in Plegian, her heart hammering against her ribcage due to the surprise “Don’t yell like that! The whole residence heard you!!”

 

The boy pouted and kicked the gravel lazily. Chrom had certainly heard him, for he was now crossing the garden to walk to them.

 

“Good morning, Robin.” He said with his charming smile. He ruffled Morgan’s hair, drawing a chuckle out of him, then held his hand out to Morgana “Good morning, madam.”

Robin’s mother shook his hand, eyeing her daughter for half a second before smiling back at him “Good morning.”

“Chrom, here’s my mother.” Robin introduced “Mom, here’s Chrom, a friend of mine.”

“The name rings a bell.” She said, smiling more “Pleased to meet you, Chrom.”

“Pleased to meet you as well.” He replied “I was about to do some grocery shopping, I assume you’re leaving for the holidays?”

Robin shook her head “Only Morgan, I have work to do.”

“Is Luci gone to her mom’s place already?” Morgan inquired.

“She is, she left on Friday after school.” He checked his watch “Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’ll tell Lucina you said hello.” He waved a last time at them as he started walking away “Bye!”

 

Both women wished him goodbye, and once he was out of hearing range, Morgana nudged her daughter playfully while Morgan climbed in the car.

 

“So here’s the vaunted Chrom, uh? He’s a charming man, if I may. Very polite. And a gorgeous lady-killer smile. Where are things going with him?”

Robin closed the trunk a bit too hard to be natural “Nowhere, we’re friends. And I’m already sort of seeing someone already, remember?”

Her mother sighed dramatically “It’s not because you’ve found yourself a plaything that you have to stop looking elsewhere.”

She frowned “Mom, Stahl’s not just a lay, we’re taking this seriously.”

“Well, as long as you’re not officially dating, that can’t prevent you from having fun with that man as well, can it?”

 

            Robin sighed. They had discussed the dating subject during the weekend, calmly and seriously, snuggling on the couch with a cup of tea once Morgan was gone to bed. She knew she was just teasing her. But if even her mother started suggesting things now… At least they agreed on the dangerous power his smile held. But taking things further with Chrom while doing the same with Stahl felt wrong and unfair. And too much to handle emotionally, anyway. Her love life has been a desert for so many years, so why should she invest herself in two relationships at once?

 

And why on earth did she even keep on considering Chrom as a potential partner?

 

Morgana saw the storm going in her daughter’s brain and nudged her gently.

 

“Don’t stress yourself over it, Robin. I was just joking.” She said with a soft voice.

“I know…”

She kissed her temple and patted her cheek “Don’t overthink too much when we’re gone, okay? I wouldn’t want you to get depressed because you miss your baby too much.”

She snorted “Soon you’ll beg me to take him back.”

“Grannyyyyyyyyyyyy~” Morgan whined from the back of the car.

“You should go” Robin advised “Or else he’s gonna get revenge by singing the same song on loop the entire way back to Themis.”

“Dear Naga, no!” She gasped with a laugh, then kissed her cheek again “Don’t overthink it sweetheart, okay? And keep me updated about your adventures, there’s nothing better than your soap opera of a life.”

She groaned “Thanks for the support, Mom.”

 

Morgana chuckled and walked to the front of the car. Morgan rolled his window down as his grandmother started the engine, and held his arms out to Robin. She hugged him tight, kissed him, made him promise to be nice and to help, and finally watched him wave at her as the car went through the gate of the residence. As soon as they were out of her sight, she sighed loudly.

 

Two weeks alone were going to be long.

 

\--

 

            The rain was pouring down, drops heavy and crashing to the ground loudly. It had not hailed yet, but given how dark the sky was, it would be only a matter of minutes before it did. Stahl sighed and put his hands in his pockets, watching the storm from the bay windows of the hallway of the building. He hoped his plants were okay, he had to bring them inside as soon as he’d get home. If he could manage to reach his car first, that is.

 

“It’s still not calming down, uh?”

 

He turned around and smiled at Robin, who arranged her handbag over her shoulder and finished buttoning her purple trench coat. Nowi had already left, and the building was mostly empty. The receptionist had also left, and the room was silent except for the thunder outside.

 

“Unfortunately not.” He replied with a smile.

“I’ll have to run to the bus stop, I guess.” She sighed.

“Do you want me to drop you off?” He offered.

“But you’ll make a detour.” She countered with a pout.

He shrugged “I don’t mind... Oh, and how about dropping at my place for coffee until the storm stops, instead?”

 

She blinked in surprise, then smiled. Her cheeks were slightly red. He fought the urge to pepper them in soft kisses.

 

“Sure. Morgan is not home, anyway. So I’m free.”

Stahl chuckled “I guess that counts as our second date?”

She scratched her neck embarrassedly “I guess…? If I had known, I would have dressed a bit better today…”

A new string of giggles escaped his throat “What you’re wearing doesn’t matter to me, you know.”

 

Her lack of answer made him turn to her. She looked confused, and her blush had grown redder. He tilted his head to the side, puzzled.

 

“Did I say something wrong?”

“N-no… it’s just… Nevermind.” She looked away “I thought you were going to add something else after that sentence. Don’t mind it.”

He snorted out of embarrassment, feeling his face burn “Did you think I was going to add something like “because I’ll take it off anyway”? Come on, Robin, I’m not a teenager anymore! I’m inviting you over for coffee, that’s all.  Unless…” He trailed off.

She waved her hands “That-that’s not what I meant, oh my gods!”

 

She hid her face behind her hands, muffling some embarrassed sounds, and Stahl scratched his neck while looking down at his feet. He really did not have other thoughts than wanting to have a drink with her, but if the idea had been in the back of her mind, why would he refuse? He simply thought they’d take more time before going _this_ far together. Not that he minded; he just didn’t want to rush things. Robin’s loud snort pulled him out of his thoughts.

 

“Oh _gods_ I made it so awkward, I’m sorry!” She laughed.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” The rain seemed to calm down a bit and he pointed at the door “We should go before the apocalypse comes.”

 

And so they found themselves running to the parking lot. When they closed the doors of the car, shutting away the cold drops and the wind, they looked at each other and chuckled. Robin’s hair was sticking to her face, and he knew his bangs were no better. He started the engine, and started driving his way home.

 

\--

 

Stahl’s apartment was smaller than hers, but she kind of expected it since he was living alone. What surprised her was the prodigious amount of plants there were, drowning the place in a green atmosphere and strong smells. Most of the plants he owned were aromatic plants, and she could easily make out the smell of thyme, mint, or basil, especially since those had been left on the small balcony and had been partially drenched by the rain, bringing out their smell more. He was also growing small tomato and strawberry plants there.

 

“You seem rather fond of gardening.” Robin commented as she sat down on his worn out couch.

“I like to grow my own plants to cook.” He admitted, setting down two cups and a kettle on the coffee table in front of her.

“So you’re trying to become self sufficient?”

He chuckled “More or less, yes!”

“Maybe you should consider getting another apartment then, one with something that could look like a garden.”

“Actually, I’m kind of attached to this place. I’ve lived there for years.”

“I see.”

 

Robin lost herself in the contemplation of the plants again. The layout of the apartment didn’t surprise her, actually. It wasn’t what she had expected – she didn’t even know what she had expected – but it suited him. It was a nice reflection of him, peaceful and diverse. He sat next to her and started pouring tea in silence, the both of them listening to the sound of the rain crashing against the windows.

 

“I’ve rarely seen so much rain at once.” She commented.

“Me neither, actually.” He said, holding a cup out to her “Be careful, it’s very hot.”

She covered her hands with the sleeves of her shirt to take it “Thank you.”

 

She watched him pour his own cup with great attention, then make himself comfortable by tucking his left foot under his right knee and leaning against the backrest with a pleased sigh.

 

“It’s very calming, the sound of the rain. Don’t you think?” He finally said.

She hummed in agreement “It is. Rain is such a rare thing for me that I’ve learnt to enjoy it. When I was a child, I thought rain was a legend.”

He looked at her, lifting an eyebrow in surprise “Really?”

She nodded “Well, I lived in the Plegian desert. The only storms we have are dust storms. The first time I saw the rain was when I moved to Themis with my mother. I was not even six yet.” She giggled “My mother has a picture of me looking at the rain for the first time, I look like I’ve seen the most beautiful thing on Earth.” She tilted her head back, holding back a small laugh “Gods, and the snow! The first time I saw the snow I was so confused! I wondered why there was caster sugar all over our garden!”

“That’s adorable.” Stahl said with a small giggle.

 

The conversation went on naturally, like it had on their first date. They talked and talked and talked, sharing thoughts, memories and opinions; Robin loved talking with him, for conversations were always interesting. He always had some piece of random knowledge to share, some joke to make, some book to talk about. Naturally, hours went by and darkness gradually surrounded them, the night falling without them realising. It was only when Stahl’s stomach grumbled loudly that they realised it was way past dinner time.

 

“Sorry!” He said with a smile, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

She waved her hand “It’s okay. Maybe I should go back, now the rain has stopped.”

 

Stahl glanced outside. Indeed, the clattering sound had faded. He turned back to her and smiled.

 

“Would you like to stay for dinner, perhaps?”

 

\--

 

_“Gods, I wish I could have been there just to say “Would you like to stay forever?”!”_

Robin rolled her eyes “Mom, are really going to quote Mulan?”

_“You bet I am! You made me watch it so many times with you, it’s about time I make good use of my knowledge!”_

 

Morgana’s soft laughter made Robin smile as she walked around the apartment to clean up. Without her son in the way, it was easier to organise her bookshelf without being interrupted. She had scrubbed up the bathroom and kitchen, and was now changing the sheets of her bed, her phone tucked between her shoulder and her ear.

 

_“Anyway, what happened next?”_

Robin blew on one of her strands of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes “We made dinner together. I wanted to order something, but he said he loved cooking so... Well, I ended up giving him a hand because I couldn’t stay there with my arms crossed. Cooking is a strangely domestic thing to do, but it’s also a nice kind of bonding time I think.”

_“That’s great. What did you cook?”_

“Just pasta with some bolognaise, but he did the entire sauce from A to Z. Stahl hates using premade industrial stuff.”

_“At least the guy eats healthily, that’s a good thing! …What’s wrong sweet-“_ Robin heard her son’s voice in the distance, and her mother chuckled _“Morgan desperately wants to talk to you. We’ll talk about this later, okay?”_

“Understood.”

Noise came from the other side of the line, and soon Morgan chirped into the phone.

 

_“Hi Mom!”_

“Hi sweetie. Is everything okay?”

_“Yes!!”_

“Are you helping granny with the dishes and cleaning?”

_“I am!”_

Robin smiled as she arranged the pillows of her bed “Great. So, tell me, what have you done with granny recently?”

 

She listened to his blabbering while doing the rest of her chores. She missed him greatly. The apartment was too silent without him, her meals too lonely, her evenings too boring. She didn’t really have the strength to go out on evenings, nor the will, which made his absence a bit harder to endure. Maybe it was about time she actually enjoyed being on her own; she could be the woman and not the mother. But slipping back into these shoes was not an easy task. She had a comfortable way of living, now he gave her a purpose. The last time she went for a drink with someone was… Probably when she was still in uni. Probably. And it wasn’t like she had a lot of friends, at least friends without children. Getting a social life wouldn’t be a bad idea, social life meaning people who were not work colleagues or fellow parents she chatted with in front of the school. She had a good friend back in Themis, but they weren’t that much in contact anymore.

 

If at least she were as extroverted as Morgan was, everything would be easier.

 

\--

 

Lucina opened the door ajar, and peeked inside Gaius’ atelier. The man was working at his desk, his back turned to her, and apparently too focused on his piece to pay attention to her. She hesitated, her lips pinched and her weight shifting forward and back as she wondered if she should come back later.

 

“Do you need something?” Gaius asked without looking at her, his voice sounding soft and almost concerned.

“I… Can I ask you something?” She said, her tone hesitant as she squeezed her book against her body.

This time, he turned around and gave her a curious look “Sure, come in.”

 

            Lucina closed the door behind her and walked to him, while he pulled a stool closer so she could sit next to him. He moved the necklace he was working on away, so they would not accidentally damage it, and placed the smoldering iron out of her reach. Once seated, she waited for him to turn to her to make sure she had all his attention. Gaius rested his hands on his knees and nodded with a small smile. When he told her he was listening, Lucina opened her book and held it out to him. He took it, checked its title, then quickly read the page, an eyebrow lifted in slight confusion.

 

“That’s quite a nice book about pregnancies that you have there. Where did you get it?” He asked, his eyes skimming through the words.

Lucina twisted her hands “In my school’s library.”

He looked up at her and noticed her unease “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She leaned forward, resting her weight on a hand for balance as she pointed at a sentence “There. Read this.”

Gaius held the book higher and proceeded to read aloud “ _A woman begins labour when the waters break: the amniotic fluid is released, indicating that the baby is ready to be born. The muscles contract in short intervals to push them out. These are called contractions, and are really painful for the mother._ ” He looked at her “Is there something bothering you with that part?”

“Is it true that Mom going to be hurt?” She blurted out, her throat getting tighter.

Gaius gave her a tender smile and closed the book to put it on his desk “Giving birth is always painful, but the intensity depends on the woman.”

She lowered her head “I don’t want her to be hurt...” A soft warmth spread on her head as he ruffled her hair with great gentleness.

“Your mother is a tough cookie, Luci.”

“But what if it is dangerous…?”

He lifted her chin with a knuckle and gave her a reassuring grin “Don’t worry about it. We regularly make sure she’s not putting herself at risk, that’s what doctor appointments are for. As for the labour thing, your book probably doesn’t mention it, but they’re a way to stop the pain, or at least lessen it.”

Lucina’s eyes widened in relief “Really?”

He nodded “Yup. The doctors use a-“ he made a face just at the idea of it “ _very_ big needle with an anaesthetic. But it’s only at the mother’s request.”

She put her hand on his wrist “Can you promise me you’ll help her if she’s hurt?”

He ruffled her hair again, a bit more strongly this time “Of course I will, pumpkin. I’ll do everything so your mother and the baby are fine.”

She averted her eyes “…Can I have a hug?”

 

Gaius smiled and opened his arms. She climbed on his lap and hugged him tight. She sighed in relief when she felt his arms wrapping around her, giving in in his gentle rocking and soothing motions. She trusted him. If he said that he would do his best to help her mother, then she could entrust her to him without hesitation.

 

“Don’t be scared, Lucina. Everything is going to be okay.” He simply said while resting his cheek against her head.

 

She nodded with a weak hum and held him tighter.

 

\--

 

“So, how many people do we have for now?”

 

Ricken tapped his pen on his list, counting the guests under his breath, ignoring Lissa’s impatient stare “For now, around a hundred.”

“That’s not that many, I’m relieved.”

He gave her a pouty expression “I have only counted our close family here, I haven’t written down our friends yet.”

She made a face and resumed typing on her laptop “Okay so that reception room will be too small. I need to find another one…”

 

Ricken watched her chew on her lower lip pensively. He fought back the need to have a nip as well, and instead lowered his eyes to her left hand. Lissa was not used to wearing rings, so she had got this habit of fidgeting with her engagement ring absentmindedly, tracing the outline of the swallowtail with her thumb. It was getting real. It was a strange feeling. He had wanted to propose before Owain’s birth, actually. He just never truly got the occasion. The Exalts had gone through a rough patch a few years before and… Well, it was not a good time for that.

Lissa noticed his staring and opened her hand to hold it out to him “Something on your mind?”

He took it and gently rubbed the tip of his thumb on her knuckles “I was just thinking that it’s getting real.”

“What is?”

He smiled lovingly at her “Becoming your husband.”

She rolled her eyes, blushing hard “Don’t give me that look, Ricken! You know I’m weak against it!”

He chuckled and brought her hand to his lips to kiss it “That’s why I do it.”

“I can’t believe soon I won’t be able to say “just marry me already”, I’ll have to find something new to say.” She pouted.

 

Ricken chuckled and stood up to walk behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave her jaw and neck gentle kisses, which made her giggle and mumble about him tickling her. He loved her, his ray of sunshine. He squeezed her tighter and she let out a small laugh, before turning her head to look for his lips. He hummed against her mouth, enjoying the sugary taste left by the hot chocolate she had drunk earlier.

 

“Do you know you make me the happiest man in the world?” He whispered against her lips.

She turned around to hug him back “Do I? Tell me more about it…”

 

He pulled her up from the chair and wrapped his arms around her waist to spin her. She laughed, tilting her head back, her voice resonating in the living room and echoing in his ears. When he stopped, Lissa ran a hand in his hair and pulled him closer; Ricken nuzzled in her neck, and she rested her chin on the top of his head.

 

“I wanna play too!!”

 

Both of them looked in the direction of the corridor, where Owain was pouting, his pyjamas and hair dishevelled. Lissa laughed again, and Ricken closed his eyes to linger on the feeling of her throat vibrating against his cheek.

 

“Come here, Owain!” She said, waving at him.

 

The child did not need to be asked twice, and stumbled his way towards his parents with a sleepy yawn, while Ricken let Lissa down on her feet. He grabbed Owain under the arms and lifted him up to have him lean against his hipbone, then Lissa hugged them both and peppered their faces in kisses full of love and affection. The boy had mostly taken after his mother: same pricky hair, same green eyes, same smile, same bubbly expressions. The only thing he had inherited from him was his hair color, and his love for animals. Seeing his future wife and son smiling at each other warmed his heart and made him feel… strong. Invincible.

 

Love sure was the most powerful spell.

 

\--

 

A frustratred cry escaped Severa’s lips as she pushed her notebook away from her violently, and she crossed her arms with an annoyed pout.

 

“What’s wrong, Severa?” His father’s voice came from the kitchen.

“I hate maths!!” She groaned.

“Come over.”

 

Severa sulked for a good minute, before she forcefully grabbed her notebook, the paper crumpling in her small hands, and stomped her way to the kitchen. Her father did not look at her, his eyes focused on his task; he was yet perfectly aware of her presence. He pointed at the chair in front of him with his peeler, inviting her to sit. The child half-threw her notebook on the table, which only earned her a dark look from him.

 

“Don’t throw your things.” He said with a flat, yet stern voice.

“It’s getting on my nerves!” She pouted as she sat in front of him.

“It’s not a reason. Your notebook did nothing wrong.” He replied, putting the potato he had finished peeling in the bowl next to him “Now explain what you don’t understand.”

 

Severa opened the offensive notebook and showed him the exercise she was supposed to work on. He took a look at the problem in silence, and she waited patiently for his reaction. In the end, he lifted an eyebrow and resumed peeling his potatoes.

 

“That method of teaching is odd.”

She lifted an eyebrow “Is it?”

He nodded “I know a simpler way. It’s called cross-multplication.”

She pouted “Never heard of that. That’s probably a Chonsin’ese thing.”

Lon’qu frowned “Absolutely not and that’s a prejudice, Severa. The Chonsin’ese are not _all_ math experts.”

“Who decided to come up with fractions anyway? It’s complicated and useless.” She grunted.

“It’s just that you have no use for them yet. Some people use them for their work, you know?” He explained, picking another potato to peel.

“What’s a prejudice, anyway?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

He took a second to think, his fingers stilling mid-air as he tried to find an easy way to explain the word. She didn’t like when people used words that she didn’t get; it made her feel stupid and she hated feeling stupid. She wasn’t a stupid girl.

 

“A prejudice is when you have a judgment about someone before knowing them. For example, if I don’t know you and I look at you then say you’re a mean girl just because you’re frowning, I’m having prejudice about you.”

“I’m not mean!” She squealed in outrage.

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to explain.” He replied calmly “I _know_ you’re not. But anyone who would meet you right now could think so. Do you get it?”

Severa looked away, and answered as if it physically hurt her to admit it “Yeah.”

 

Lon’qu finished peeling his last potato, then stood up to wash his hands in the sink. Once they were clean and dried, he came back to his daughter and gently ruffled her hair, a gentle smile on his lips.

 

“Let’s go to your room so I can help you with those maths.”

 

\--

 

The key turned in the lock with a small click, and the door opened in silence. Chrom switched the light of the living room on with a hand, taking his left shoe off with the other without great conviction. Once his second shoe off, he closed the door and dragged himself to the couch, on which he let himself fall face first with a groan of relief. He was _exhausted_. Today had been anything but a calm day. He just wanted to eat and have a shower and forget about all of it. Thanks Naga he had his weekend off. Sleeping in was a perfect way to start his Saturday morning.

 

He felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket, Lucina’s singing voice telling him on repeat that he had a call– something silly they recorded together when she was five – but fetching it seemed like it was the hardest task in the universe. He lazily patted his behind until he found the device, and answered the call without checking the contact name.

 

“Hello?” He groaned, his voice half muffled by the fabric of the sofa against his cheek.

_“Hi Chrom… Uh… Am I disturbing?”_

 

Wait a minute.

 

“Robin!” He gasped, suddenly leaning on his elbow so he could breathe and articulate properly “Not at all! How are you? Do you need anything?”

_“Are you sure?”_

He nodded vividly, although it was kind of pointless “Yes! Yes I am!”

_“I, uh… I suppose you’re back since I can see light coming from your apartment. Have you eaten yet?”_

Chrom sat up properly and leaned against the backrest of the couch “I haven’t. I actually, I just got back.”

_“Ah, cool. So I was thinking, since the kids aren’t there and we’re both living in empty apartments right now, that we could eat together tonight? It’ll be less lonely.”_

Chrom needed a good second to register the offer, which made his voice sound a bit off when he replied “Tonight?”

_“Yeah! But nothing fancy uh? I’m actually lazy to go out. Like, I can come over or the opposite?”_

 

He blinked as he went into panic mode and quickly scanned the state of the living room; it was an absolute _mess_ and no way would he welcome a guest in such a dirty place. He really had to do some massive cleanup before Lucina came back.

 

“Uuuhhh… Right now my apartment is like, the perfect illustration of what the aftermath of a wyvern attack would look like. Can I come over instead?”

_“Sure, no problem!”_

Chrom stood up and walked to the kitchen. He made a face when he opened the fridge, which was ridiculously empty “Do you drink beer? I have some spare ones.”

_“Bring them over, it’s been a while since I last had one. Are you fine with an omelette? I don’t have that much left in the fridge.”_

He grabbed the pack of drinks and closed the door with his shoulder “Perfect. I’m not in the mood either for something fancy anyway. Just give me like, fifteen minutes so I can take a shower because I smell like a Pegasus.”

Robin chuckled _“Sure. Just ring at the door when you’re there.”_

“Got it, see you later then.”

_“See you!!”_

 

Chrom hung up and stared at his phone until her contact name disappeared. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled everything in one go. Okay, so that was _not_ part of his evening plans and he didn’t know if he had to be excited about it or freak out. Without the kids in the way, it felt totally different. She had invited him over to see…him. Not his daughter.

 

“Dude, calm down” he mumbled to himself as he set the pack of beers in front of the entrance door, so he made sure he wouldn’t forget them on his way out “It’s okay. You got this. You totally got this. You’re definitely _not_ going to have dinner with your absolutely gorgeous neighbour. Absolutely not.” He stopped walking when he crossed his reflection on the mirror to his left, which showed him a completely panicked man, and gasped “Holy _gods_ I’m having dinner with my gorgeous neighbour!”

 

He squealed in panic as he went to pick some clean clothes in his closet – dark grey pants with a long-sleeved white polo – and made a beeline to his shower. He spent the whole time under the water mumbling, trying to give himself some sort of pep talk; that even without Lucina as his safety net, he would be fine. Yup. Fine. He was an adult, and knew how to talk to another adult. No problem. Easy. A piece of cake.

 

He got out of the shower, dried himself and his hair, got dressed, and spent a good minute checking his face for any trace of stubble. He didn’t need to shave, so he could postpone it to the following day. Good. He didn’t feel like shaving anyway. A spray of perfume and he was good to go. He grabbed his cloak, keys and drinks and left the apartment.

The cold bit his cheeks and neck as soon as he walked out – he had realised too late that he had forgotten his scarf – and he walked faster across the garden to building G, the only noise around him being the bottles clinking against each other and the rhythmic sound of his footsteps on the gravel.

 

The door of her apartment was ajar when he reached the second floor. He gave it a few knocks, then poked his head through the interstice and called tentatively.

 

“Robin?”

“Come in, come in!! I’m in the kitchen!!” a voice replied from the room facing the entrance door, where he could also hear some music.

 

Chrom obliged, and closed the door behind him. He started taking his coat off, when Robin appeared in the doorframe facing him, holding a plastic spatula in hand. Her hair was loosely tied with a wooden hairpin, and she was wearing black leggings with an oversized burgundy hoodie, on which “University of Themis” was printed in white letters. He suddenly felt slightly overdressed upon seeing her. She arranged her white slippers with a hand and smiled at him.

 

“Just hang your coat on the coat rack and make yourself comfortable, I’m almost done.”

“What should I do of these?” He asked, holding the beers up.

She turned around and gestured at the table in the living room “Put them on the table, I’ll go fetch an opener.”

 

\--

 

As soon she was out of his sight, Robin allowed herself to breathe. She took several breaths to keep her composure, and walked back to her forgotten lardoons on the stove. She hummed in rhythm with the music that was still playing and allowed herself to sway her hips ever so slightly, for Chrom would be waiting in the living room for her to be done anyway. Burlesque was a movie she enjoyed watching, and Express was her favourite song of the OST. It always put her in a good mood when she listened to it. It also was one of those songs that made her feel powerful. The top one being Beyonce’s Who Run The World, obviously. Because she needed confidence to manage to talk casually with Chrom, _without the kids in the way_.

 

She had never realised how simpler things were when Morgan and Lucina where there. It gave them an excuse to chat. But now? It was just the two of them. She didn’t regret having called him, not a single second. She really needed company, because she was growing tired of eating on the couch while watching a movie. If eating was the correct word. It seemed so easy to slip back into her old college student habits, now she didn’t have to keep a decent schedule for her son. Stahl would gasp in terror if he knew how badly she ate when she didn’t want to make an effort.

 

Her moves faltered, the meat sizzling in the pan a bit more loudly. Somehow, being with Stahl felt different. When she had stayed over for dinner, she had felt relaxed. But Chrom’s presence in the room next to hers made her… tense. In a _good_ way. It was clearly not the same atmosphere. She paused to check her pulse, and realised that her heartbeat was not as slow as she had wished. Well, it’d be better after a beer or two. Robin shook her head to gather her thoughts and resumed cooking. The lardoons were good, she only needed to add the potatoes and she’d be-

 

“Need help?”

Robin gasped, her heart jumping into her throat “Oh my _gods_ don’t scare me like that, Chrom!”

 

She turned around only to see him leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed and a confused expression on his face. The light of the living room was making this sort of glowing aura around him, like a halo that brought out his silhouette even more. He glanced around the small kitchen.

 

“Why do you cook in the dark?” He asked.

“I-I have this habit of cooking with the light of the hood only.” She replied, trying to calm the frantic beating of her heart “For how long have you been there?”

He shrugged “Not long. You said you’d bring a bottle-opener.” He tilted his head to have a look at the food “You need help with the food?”

“I’m good, I just need to add the potatoes and the eggs.” She said, walking to the fridge and opening it “Ah, do you like mushrooms?”

He nodded “Yup.”

She pulled out a pack of pre-cut potatoes and a punnet of button mushrooms “Then could you slice a couple?”

“Sure.”

 

She put the food on the small kitchen table, gave him a knife and went to the living room to fetch two beers. When she came back, he had turned the main light on and started working, a smile on his lips. She opened the two bottles and held one out to him in silence. He accepted it with a smile, and they clinked their bottles before taking a few sips. Robin turned back to the stove to take care of the potatoes, too self-conscious to dare look back at him.

 

“What’s the name of the song?” He asked casually.

“Express.”

“Christina Aguilera?”

“Yup.”

“Knew it.” He huffed “Her voice is easily recognisable.”

“Have you seen the movie Burlesque? That song is part of the OST.”

“Never heard of it.” He admitted “What’s it about?”

Robin stepped aside when he joined her at the stove to pour the sliced mushrooms into the pan “It’s a musical movie about a girl who becomes the new star of a cabaret and tries to save it from being shut down. A simple plot but the music and the dancing are amazing.”

“I see.”

 

Chrom gently nudged her aside as if it was the most natural thing to do, his hand brushing over hers to take the spatula. Robin did not really protest, mostly because she was taken aback by his sudden proximity and… the strange feeling of intimacy and normalcy that went with the gesture. She stared at him as he focused on the food, until he lifted his head and looked at her with curious eyes.

 

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re…uh… my guest? You shouldn’t be cooking, I can do it.” Was the only logical explanation she managed to come up with.

“Oh, it’s okay. I like cooking.”

 

He concluded his statement with his killer smile, which was the final blow to her resolve. She held back a grumble about him being unfair, and started beating the eggs in silence. The music ended, and the following one started. Chrom smiled and nodded in rhythm with the song.

 

“So you’re into Fall Out Boy too, uh?”

“Obviously.” Robin replied while pouring the eggs in the pan “You like them too?”

“Yeah, I’ve been to one of their concerts once.”

She a pleasantly surprised smile stretched her lips “Really? Me too! I’m a huge fan of Centuries.”

He nodded in appreciation “Excellent choice. I liked the whole Mania album as well.”

“Hence the fact you’re almost headbanging right now?” She snorted while taking a sip of her beer, turning around to lean against the kitchen counter.

He rolled his eyes “Come on, I wasn’t headbanging!”

“You totally were.” She teased, pointing her bottle at him for emphasis.

“Is it my fault if Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea is good?” He pouted.

 

He was adorable when he pouted, by the way. Robin giggled.

 

“Well, you haven’t seen me when I listen to Young and Menace. I just have this irrepressible need to dance when I do.”

He took a sip of his beer “That I’ll gladly believe.”

“Anyway, I’m going to set the table.”

 

Robin left the counter and picked two plates with cutlery, that she brought to the living room. She hesitated between the dinner table and the coffee table for a couple of seconds, then settled for the coffee table. She wanted to be cosy for tonight and not put on a show or anything. She picked the other beers and settled them on the table, so they wouldn’t have to get up again. Chrom came in a minute later, carrying the pan with great caution.

 

When was the last time she had enjoyed a chill evening with someone? She couldn’t remember. Well, the one she had shared with Stahl a few days before didn’t exactly count, since they were… No, they weren’t together. But _something_ was going on.

And yet, when she looked at Chrom as he cut the omelette with the spatula, she wondered what was actually going on with him too.

 

“Do you think we’d have become friends without the kids?”

He lifted his head “Excuse me? I didn’t hear you.”

Robin shook her head, dismissing the question with a wave of the hand “Nothing. I was just thinking out loud.”

 

\--

 

A whole omelette and three beers later, Robin was lazily leaning against the backrest of the couch, her legs folded up to her side and a plaid covering them. Chrom was smiling at her, mimicking her position while they had shared stories for the past hour.

 

“I can’t believe it!” She chuckled.

“I swear to Naga it happened. And it’s not the only weird thing I’ve seen while on duty!” He cackled.

“You could write a book about your anecdotes, you’d make a best-seller.”

“Maybe! But I’m not that much of a literature man. Books never appealed to me that much.”

She put a hand on her chest, gasping dramatically “You come into my house????”

He laughed harder “I feel threatened by your books!!”

“You won’t leave this place without a book!” She exclaimed as she pushed the blanket away from her legs and tottered to the closest bookshelf, which she grabbed with a hand to keep balance “Woaaah maybe I shouldn’t have drunk three beers in an hour.” She groaned.

Chrom seemed to be amused “Drunk already?”

She pointed her finger at him with a pout “First, I’m not drunk, I’m slightly tipsy. Secondly, you’re taller than me so statistically you handle your alcohol better. And thirdly, I haven’t had a drink in a while.”

“Okay okay!” He conceded, lifting both of his hands in defeat. His crooked grin however proved that he didn’t believe her a single second.

“Stop being so adorkable I swear to Naga!” she whined before turning back to the bookshelf in search of a work that might be to his taste.

He burst into laughter “What’s that word?”

“It’s Plegian.” She lied.

 

The only answer she got was a snort. He absolutely didn’t believe her, but at least he didn’t insist. Robin reviewed her books and finally picked one with a satisfied “Ah!”. She walked back to the couch, held it out to him, then went to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of Rosannian wine and a corkscrew.

 

Chrom lifted an eyebrow “You’re planning on drinking more?”

She smirked “What, you’re going to arrest me, _officer_?”

His face suddenly turned beet red and mumbled something that sounded like “That’s not…”

She winked at him “Relax, it’s not like we’re going to drive or something. The only risk I’d take would be bumping into the table while going to my room.”

“I guess.” He replied, flipping through the pages of the book before looking back at her “Do you actually need help with that?”

Robin, who had already wedged the bottle between her thighs and dug the corkscrew in, smiled brightly at him “Don’t worry, I got this.”

“Are you really su-“

 

The cork came off with a loud pop, and Robin stared at it in satisfaction.

 

“Ha HA! You thought you could resist me?!” She sneered at the stopper.

“Why do I even bother?” He mumbled to himself with a sigh, his cheeks still red.

 

Robin put the bottle on the table and fetched two wine glasses, before letting herself fall on the couch and pouring the drinks. She offered him a glass, then proceeded to sip the other with a happy hum. Rosannian wine was truly the best wine in the world. Chrom examined the back cover of the book, and she waited expectantly.

 

“So, what do you think?” She eventually said, putting the blanket back on her legs.

“Seems nice. The name of the book rings a bell though.” He confessed with a nod.

“It’s because they made a movie of it.” She explained “I don’t know what you are into, but _Howl’s Moving Castle_ is a gem. It’s truly different from the movie itself, but it’s a great story. Morgan loves it, he often asks me to read it to him.”

A tender smile stretched his lips “So your son still asks you for bedtime stories too?”

Robin pulled the hairpin from her bun and let her hair cascade down her shoulders. She ruffled it with a hand while holding her glass out of the way “Who am I to deny him this? Honestly, why would we read books individually while we could share a story together?”

He seemed to be captivated by her hair as he replied “…You’re not wrong.”

“You can be sure that Lucina will love it too. It has magicians, witches and a strong female protagonist.”

 

Chrom suddenly drank his wine in one go, which surprised Robin. She sat up more properly, slightly leaning forward.

 

“Wow, you okay?”

“Yeah” he said, pouring himself a second glass “Intrusive thoughts, sorry. You were saying?”

She put a strand of hair behind her ear “…I forgot. We were talking about the book…”

“Uh… you said there were magicians?”

“Ah, yes. It’s not a basic love story, you see? The main characters argue all the time. It’s an “I love you, me neither” relationship.”

He frowned in confusion “I love you, me neither?”

“That’s not how we say it in Ylissean?” She wondered out loud, tapping her lips as she looked up pensively.

“I’m not really sure.”

“Maybe I literally translated the expression from Plegian? To make it simple they love each other but they spend their time arguing and pretending they don’t need each other.” She explained with a move of the hand.

“You mean, as in a love-hate relationship?”

She stuck her tongue out in disgust “Urgh, such a plain way to say it. I prefer “I love you, me neither”.”

 

\--

 

Two hours and a half later, the bottle was almost empty. Robin was lying down, her hands crossed on her stomach. Sitting up made her feel a bit dizzy, so she had opted for a lying down position so she wouldn’t have the feeling she’d tip over any second. The very top of her head touched Chrom’s thigh. She could feel his warmth spread through her scalp, which somehow made her feel better. Chrom, on the other hand, had spread his arms on the backrest and had tilted his head back as well. Somewhere along the way, they had managed to turn the lights off – it hurt their tired and intoxicated eyes – except for the floor lamp next to the TV. They had fallen silent, and were enjoying the quietness of the moment. Paradoxically, even if she was definitely drunk now, she felt good. It felt right, lying down next to this man without saying a word.

 

“Chrom?” She half-whispered after a while.

“Mmh?”

“Do you think you could fetch me water?” she asked with a quiet voice.

 

He sat up with an extreme slowness, a grunt coming out of his throat. He managed to stand up, walk to the kitchen without too many difficulties, and come back with the carafe she had left on the table. He sat back down, and poured some water into the used wine glasses. He drank his, and held the second one out to her while she tried to sit up.

 

“Do you feel sick?” He asked, holding her by the waist for support.

She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder “Not really… I mean, I don’t think I’m going to throw up. Well, I will if I drink one more glass of wine, so I’m going to stop there.”

He placed the glass in her hands “Tell me if you need to go to the bathroom.”

She snorted weakly “At least you already know the way around my place.”

He smiled “The perks of living in buildings with the same layout, I guess.”

 

She sipped her water in silence. It took her almost five minutes to finish her glass, and her grogginess did not help when she tried to put the glass back on the table. Chrom helped her and put it down for her, before the both of them leaned against the backrest, their arms pressed together. Robin rested her head on his shoulder again, and she felt his cheek on the top of her head. She felt good. Relaxed. Closer to him also. Well, not only in a physical way, obviously. After some time, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned more against him with a pleased sigh. He was warm.

 

“Am I doing the right thing…?” She mumbled, mostly to herself.

“About what?” He mumbled back.

His breath was quiet, his chest moving slowly up and down. It was soothing. “About Stahl.”

“Your colleague?”

“Yeah.”

“Why do you think that?”

Robin stayed silent a few seconds “I think…It’s strange, actually. There’s something about this relationship that bugs me, but I can’t pinpoint what…But not in a bad way? It’s hard to explain. Like… I spent the evening at his place the other day, the same way we’re doing right now, but I don’t feel the same.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be normal though?”

“ _I feel better around you, actually.”_

He smiled tiredly “You just spoke Plegian, I didn’t get a thing.”

“It wasn’t important.” She muttered.

 

She felt his hand move next to her shoulder. She realised he was playing with a strand of her hair and smiled. She wondered what kind of person he was when sharing some sort of intimacy with someone else.

 

“Hey…”

“Yes?”

“How did you fall in love with your ex-wife?”

 

Chrom’s hand stilled for a second in her hair. She pouted, on the verge of complaining. She didn’t want him to stop. Fortunately, he resumed what he was doing, and she smiled in satisfaction. She wrapped her arm around his stomach, and rested her head near his heart.

 

He had met Sumia while still in middle school. They had been paired up for an assignment, and that was how their friendship had started. That was also how he had met Cordelia, for she was her best friend.

 

“The woman who was with you when Aversa came over the other day?”

He nodded “Yes, that’s her.”

“She seems nice.”

“She is. I got transferred here thanks to her.”

“ _Maybe I should thank her too…_ ” Robin whispered.

“You’re mumbling in Plegian again.” He chimed.

She cleared her throat “Anyway, about Sumia?”

 

She felt his ribcage vibrate when he chuckled, and smiled weakly. By the time they had entered high school, they had gotten really close. Apparently Cordelia had had a thing for him back then, but since she treasured her friendship with Sumia, she had backed down when she had understood that there was something growing between her best friend and him. The three of them had a common dream, which was to join the police. He had started dating Sumia after their first year, and they had moved in together in Ylisstol to enter the best police academy of the country. She wanted to be part of the Republican Guard, and so had been Cordelia’s goal. They loved working with horses, which was the main reason why they had chosen this branch. Chrom, on the other hand, had settled for the National Police Force. He had hesitated with the Riot Police, but he wanted to protect people, not fight them. Sumia and him had planned to get married later, but for the sake of convenience and to make sure they would not end up separated because of their work, they had agreed to bring it forward, and settled down at the age of 22. By the time they finished the academy, she had brought up the family topic and told him she wanted children. And when she had gotten pregnant, both of them had been overjoyed. Having Lucina in their lives had been a blessing.

 

“When I first held her in my arms, I felt… invincible? Like there was no man on Earth who could be happier than me at this very moment?”

“I get the feeling.” She chuckled. She rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him “How come your relationship deteriorated? You seemed to love her a lot.”

“I… can’t exactly say when it really started. I think there were some signs during the pregnancy that I ignored on purpose…”

“For example?”

“Mmh… For example, sometimes, when I looked at her, I felt happy for her, but not for _us_. You see?”

She nodded “I think I get the idea.”

“And then…” His voice trembled ever so faintly “We found out my mother was sick. Stage four lung cancer…She…”

 

Robin slowly sat up and cupped his cheek in silence. What could she even say, except tell him to stop if it hurt too much? However, he cut her in her thoughts before she could decide by taking a deep breath.

 

“She was gone in less than eight months…” his tone quavered and started sounding more high-pitched “We barely… We barely had the time to realise what was going on…”

“I’m sorry.” Robin eventually said.

He choked back a sob and wiped his eyes “Sorry, I just… It’s been eight years but it’s still…”

She rubbed her thumb on his cheek with a sorry smile “It’s okay, Chrom. I didn’t mean to bring back painful memories.”

He shook his head “I can live with them, honestly. It’s just that… it makes me emotional.” He chuckled awkwardly through his tears “Having downed a full bottle of wine didn’t help, did it?”

Robin smiled at him and rested her forehead against his “It didn’t, I admit it.”

He sniffled and fished a tissue in the pocket of his jeans. After having blown his nose and cleaned his face a little, he resumed speaking “It was the worst two years for my sisters and I. We were really close to her. She has raised us alone after our father died in a car accident when I was eight.”

 

Talk about a tragic backstory. Robin pinched her lips in compassion but did not say anything else. Chrom took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then resumed sharing his story. After his mother’s death, he had gone through a dark period. Everything had lost its meaning, and even if Sumia had done her best to help him out, it had not been enough. Little by little, they had lost their intimacy. He hadn’t touched her in days, then weeks, then months. After half a year, sharing a bed with his wife had felt like they were sleeping in two single beds put side by side. He had taken care of his daughter almost mechanically, although he loved her genuinely.

 

“Somehow, I think that Lucina’s presence helped me pick myself up. I had to be strong for my daughter, you see?” He said, clearing his throat to chase the hoarseness away from his voice “I realised that the only thing I was doing was hurt Sumia, though. I didn’t want her to suffer because of me. I needed time for myself, to get my life back on track. But I couldn’t do that _and_ do my job as a husband and father at the same time.” He smiled sadly “Actually, she was the one who brought up divorce. She’s a wonderful woman, you see? She had understood that. And she wanted to lift that burden as much as she could. She knew that _we_ were fucked up. Lucina was barely two when we divorced.”

“But you got better, didn’t you?” Robin encouraged him.

“I did, eventually. Therapy helped a lot. But after a few years I realised that as much as I loved my life in Ylisstol, I wanted to move closer to my sisters.”

“And to get a fresh start, I remember.” She nodded with a smile.

“Damn, I’m rambling now.” He chuckled, then yawned “Wow, today wore me out.”

“Maybe you should go back home.” Robin suggested “You need rest.”

 

She moved out of his way when he sat up properly, mumbling that he agreed with her. He stood up and stretched, but when she tried to do the same, her legs gave way and she almost stumbled. Thankfully, he grabbed her arm and held her up.

 

“Careful.” He said with a warm voice.

“T-thanks.” She replied, a bit flustered by how affectionate his tone sounded.

“Let me help you.” He offered, wrapping his hand around her waist and escorting her towards her bedroom.

 

She didn’t protest. First because she didn’t find the strength to, secondly because she didn’t _want_ to. Chrom opened the door of her bedroom and brought her in, then made her sit on the edge of the bed. He smiled at her gently and knelt in front of her.

 

“There. Do you need anything else?”

She shook her head “I’m fine. I’m going to crawl under my covers and sleep.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

“To be honest? You should do the same.”

“Will do.”

“Be glad you live across the courtyard, you would have been obliged to stay here otherwise.” She joked.

“Well, would it be really a problem?”

 

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. He was the first to avert his eyes and cleared his throat. He stood back up and the moment was gone. Deep down, Robin wished she had had the energy to hold him back. But it was too late.

 

“I… I should get going.” He eventually said.

“Be careful on your way out.” Was all she managed to reply. “See you soon?”

 

He nodded, smiling, and left the room with a last wave of the hand at her. She heard him pick up the dishes while she desperately tried to remove her bra without taking off her hoodie – something she could do easily while _sober_ – but the task was harder than she had expected. After a good minute, she gave up and crawled under the covers with a grunt.

 

She was not sure if Chrom was already gone when she fell asleep.


	8. So Contagious (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan cleared his throat and fished his tome from his bag. He didn’t even bother opening it, only putting the palm of his hand on the cover. He clicked his fingers and a small flame appeared on the top of the pile of firewood, struggling for a few seconds until it settled correctly. In a matter of minutes, they were enveloped in a warm bubble, and his friend sighed in relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back!!  
> This chapter feels like a filler, although some interesting stuff happens in it... such as me introducing my forever fave OTP. The title of this chapter is taken from their "theme song" - So Contagious, by Acceptance - just for them, but also because it's a pun on the some of the contents of this chapter.

She hated her life.

 

She hated her life _so much right now_.

 

Had she got drunk alone, it would have been sad, but at least her honor would be safe. Now she felt like she was dying, physically and mentally. She had never handled her alcohol very well. She also needed to go to the toilets, and quick. But getting out of bed meant facing the consequences of her actions. And she wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. Maybe if she stayed in bed she could pretend she didn't exist.

 

She didn't remember everything in detail, but she got most of the events of the evening. She really shouldn't have opened that bottle of wine... Robin muffled her groan in her pillow, but winced and pinched the bridge of her nose a second later. Her head felt like a gong. Thanks Naga Morgan wasn't there. She wouldn't be able to function as a proper human being today.

 

And she really, _really_ needed to pee.

 

Sitting up in her bed was already a huge effort to make, but walking to the bathroom was a complete adventure. She made her way there with a hand on the wall, just in case, for she didn’t trust her sense of balance yet. She wasn't ready to see the state of the living room. The bottles, the dirty dishes... the traces of her enjoyable but oh so embarrassing night waiting for her.

 

However, she saw none of that when she reached the room. She squinted her eyes. The coffee table was sparkling clean, the blanket folded neatly on the couch, the corkscrew and bottle opener put away. As if nothing had taken place there twelve hours before. She spotted a glass full of water with a box of painkillers on the dinner table, along with a sticky note. She grabbed the piece of paper and read it, rubbing the remnants of sleep off her eyes with her free hand.

 

_Robin,_

_Thanks for having invited me, it was really fun. I'll bring your book back asap. I took the liberty of cleaning up a bit before leaving. I also locked your door on my way out, the key is under the doormat._

 

_Chrom_

 

Robin sighed, although smiling. He didn't have to go this far, really. She was however grateful for the attention, and gladly swallowed a pill with the entire glass of water. She retrieved her key on the doorstep, made some coffee and, finding herself not knowing what to do at almost noon, decided to sit on her balcony to enjoy some fresh air and ventilate the apartment.

 

The blinds of the flat on the opposite side of the garden were closed. Chrom was most likely still asleep. Or maybe he hadn’t had the courage to open them to face the world yet. Robin smiled to herself and grabbed her phone to check her social media. Aversa had posted some new pictures on her facebook, which almost made her grunt in envy. She wished she had a goddess-like body sometimes.

 

She glanced at the other building again, and smiled to herself as she opened her front camera.

 

\--

 

He hated his life.

 

He hated his life _so much right now._

 

He had cried in front of Robin? Really? Yes, it was justified, he knew that talking about his mother was a sensitive subject and the alcohol had obviously not made anything better, but he had most likely ruined the mood with his wailing. Urgh. Robin wouldn’t probably want to hang out with him again.

 

Chrom sighed and rolled on his back with a long sigh. At least he wasn’t hungover. It was something he hadn’t experienced a lot in his life, since he always stopped before he got really drunk. The screen of his phone suddenly lit up, the weak light projected towards the ceiling catching his attention. He stretched an arm and grabbed the device, rubbing his hand on his face with the other.

 

A text from Robin.

 

Chrom closed his eyes and took a deep breath before releasing it, then opened the message.

 

_[12:11]_

_Hey there, I hope your state is not worse than mine._

 

A photo was attached to the message. It was a picture of her smiling, on what he assumed was the balcony, with a red cup of coffee and small, tired eyes. She looked also a bit paler, despite her naturally tanned skin. A weak smile stretched Chrom’s lips; he had overthought things again. He tapped a reply at a snail pace, for his eyes hurt because of the vivid light of the screen in the darkness.

 

_[12:14]_

_Hey. To be fairly honest, I don’t know what I look like yet, but I’m not sure I want to know._

_[12:16]_

_Haven’t found the strength to get out of bed yet?_

_[12:17]_

_Absolutely not._

_[12:20]_

_By the way, thanks for the pills and having cleaned my apartment. You didn’t have to, really._

 

Chrom smiled and rolled on his stomach, wedging his pillow under his chest to be more comfortable.

 

_[12:22]_

_It’s fine, I didn’t mind doing it. I mean, there were just a few bottles to get rid of._

 

_[12:23]_

_I happened to make a detour by your bathroom on my way out, you see._

_[12:24]_

_Yeah, sure. I totally believe you._

 

This morning conversation already made him feel better, and he found the strength to roll out of bed and walk to the kitchen for a well-deserved coffee. He flicked the switch of the blinds up and light gradually spread through the aftermath-of-wyvern-attacked living room.

 

_[12:28]_

_What are your plans for today?_

_[12:29]_

_Pretend I don’t exist and wander aimlessly in the apartment. I wanted to clean up but you forestalled me there :)_

_[12:31]_

_Sorry not so sorry :)_

 

Urgh. Speaking of that, he had to tidy the place before his daughter came back. The most urgent was to get rid of the dirty dishes and the clothing scattered here and there. Maybe catch up on the ironing too, for the clean clothes wouldn’t go back to their respective closets by themselves. He missed Frederick’s fussiness with cleaning sometimes; the Exalt’s house had always been sparkling clean thanks to him, as far as he could remember. Speaking of Frederick, maybe he should give him a call, it had been a while since he had last gotten news.

 

His phone vibrated in his hand, pulling him out of his thoughts.

 

_[12:35]_

_Anyway, time for me to try to be productive today. Have a nice day :)_

 

\--

 

Sumia had caught her daughter staring more than once. Looking at her belly as if she tried to understand what was happening inside. According to Chrom and Gaius, she had taken an interest in pregnancies since she had learnt she was going to have a sibling soon. It was a good thing. One of her main worries was that Lucina would feel rejected or jealous of the baby.

 

“Do you want to touch it?”

 

Lucina’s eyes drifted to hers, confusion all over her child’s face.

 

“Touch it?”

“My belly. You’ve been staring at it for the past few minutes. Do you want to touch it?” Sumia clarified while arranging the pillows behind her back with a small grimace.

 

The child nodded and shuffled closer on the couch. Sumia took her hand and placed it atop of her belly. They waited for a few seconds, until Lucina looked up at her in confusion. Sumia chuckled. The baby was quite energetic usually, but had decided to stay calm this once. She cleared her throat and smiled.

 

“Baby baby, come say hello to your sister Luci~” she said in a sing-song voice.

 

As expected, the foetus stirred, and she dragged Lucina’s hand to the patch of skin under which she had felt a thump. The child gasped upon feeling the kick under her tiny hand, and her mother smiled at the adorableness.

 

“They heard you?” she muttered in astonishment.

“They can hear you too. They react to songs too, I think they don’t like Gaius’ taste in music.” Sumia chuckled.

 

Lucina patted Sumia’s belly with such gentleness she might have only grazed her skin. The baby kicked back in answer. She giggled, and turned to her mother again.

 

“Can I share secrets with them, then?” She asked.

Sumia ran a hand in her daughter’s hair with a warm smile “Of course you can. But I’m not sure they’ll remember them when they’ll be born.”

“I’ll tell them again, then.”

 

And with that, Lucina put her hands on her stomach again, and started mumbling things to the baby, as if she were whispering in their ear. She was not that discreet though, and Sumia got most of it even though she pretended she didn’t. She let her do, combing her daughter’s blue strands lazily with a hand as she watched her with a loving look.

Lucina told her about everything. What the appartment looked like. How they had arranged a bedroom for them, which was originally her dad’s office. But not the baby’s dad, Lucina’s dad. Because they didn’t have the same dad. But they had the same mom. She told them that she had been scared at first, but that now she was excited to meet them because she had read books about babies and knew everything about pregnancies now. She got a few kicks as an answer, and took it as her cue to go on. Sumia bit her bottom lip to not giggle, and discreetly picked her phone on a nearby cushion to film her.

 

“I hope you’re going to like school.” Lucina continued “Because it’s cool. We learn a lot of things and we make friends. Oh, but you don’t make friends only in school!! One of my friends lives in my residence, but we don’t go to school together. He knows a lot of things and his mom is really cool. My dad thinks she’s cool too. He talks often about her at home. They even got me a book for Christmas! So my dad got her a bracelet in exchange. Aunt Lissa helped him choose it. Oh, but you’re probably not going to meet Aunt Lissa, because she’s my dad’s sister and she doesn’t come to Ylisstol often.”

“I think they like it when you talk about your friends, Luci. Can you tell them more about it?” Sumia commented.

Lucina nodded, although she did not look at her “So my friend’s name is Morgan. He’s a year younger than me. We met at the beginning of the school year, but he was always standing at the bus stop in front of mine so we couldn’t talk. He wanted to become my friend, so he waved at me everyday! So I started waving back, and one day we went home together. That’s how my dad and his mom became friends too. He’s also friends with Cordelia, who is also mom’s best friend, so I became friends with her daughter Severa. She’s in my class by the way. She’s a bit grumpy and sulks often, but she’s nice and she likes to play soccer with me. She has suuuuper long hair like her mom and I think it’s super pretty. There’s Inigo too.”

 

And with that, she fell silent for a few seconds. She seemed to be looking for her words. The baby kicked under her hands.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” She said, acknowledging her sibling’s request “Let me find the words. Uh…” she looked up, then spoke to the belly again, more hesitantly “Inigo’s my friend, and we’re really close. Severa makes fun of us because she thinks he’s my boyfriend, but to be honest, I don’t really know what that means. He got me a bracelet for Valentine’s Day.” She held her wrist up and shook it, making the small crown move “You probably can’t see it, but it’s a crown. He said that the thread matches my hair and that it made him think of me. But it was not his present, actually. At first, he got me a ring, but since it was his mom’s he had to give it back and give me a new present instead. I’m kind of sad because I liked the ring too.”

 

Aaaand there it was, the confession. Sumia made a small gesture of victory, and pinched her lips harder to not burst out of laughter. Dear Naga, children were adorable. The innocence of this young boy and his attachment to his daughter was lovely. And Lucina had obviously taken after her father in the matters of the heart, for she seemed to be oblivious. If not to his attitude, at least to her own feelings. That poor boy was going to show some patience if he was crushing on the little girl. Maybe she should ask Cordelia for more details. She ended the video and sent it to Chrom and Gaius. They would like it a lot, for sure. Her ex-husband - like the doting father he was – had more pictures and videos than necessary of Lucina stored in his phone and his computer. Gaius kept only the funny ones. “For blackmailing purposes when she becomes an emo, pouty teenager.” to quote him. She truly hoped she wouldn’t become like that. There was – however – no doubt that Gaius would do the same thing as Chrom: there would be pictures of their child everywhere, even in the most unexpected places.

After all, wasn’t he the one who had more pictures than actual cash in his wallet?

 

\--

 

“Yes, I’m taking care of it as soon as I’m done with my emails. You’ll have the file ready to pick tomorrow morning. Have a nice day~.”

 

Nowi hung up her phone and resumed typing the email she had left mid-writing. She turned up the volume of her music a tiny bit, now she was not busy talking. Stahl had already left, and she didn’t like having the typing on her keyboard as the only sound breaking the silence of their office. Just some random popular songs, to make some noise. She didn’t even know half of them. She had stopped keeping track of the new songs that came out when she stopped going clubbing, which meant when Donnel had declared that clubs weren’t his cup of tea at all and as much as he loved her, he wouldn’t tag along anymore if she wanted to go. At least, not as often than before. He had in no way forbidden her to go dance until the early hours of the morning, but there was no fun in going there alone – not anymore – and so had started going less and less, until she totally stopped. Nah’s birth hadn’t helped either, although she still enjoyed a night out with some friends once in a while.

 

She checked the clock. Fifteen minutes left. Just enough to reply to her emails and take care of that file. She completed the task in twenty minutes, and turned her computer off while putting her coat on with a small yawn. She grabbed her bag and went to knock on Robin’s open door.

 

“I’m off, see you tomorrow.” She said with a smile.

“Yeah, see y- oh, wait!” Robin gasped, stretching her hand towards her as if she could grab her by the coat from her desk “Are you free this Friday evening?”

Nowi grinned at her, sparks of curiosity sparkling in her eyes “Sure, what’s up?”

She crossed her arms on her desk, a small but genuine smile on her lips “I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner with Donnel and Nah? I invited Stahl too.”

She wriggled her eyebrows “So we’ll be here to third wheel you?”

Robin rolled her eyes, a faint blush on her cheeks “Nowi, if I wanted to see Stahl alone, I wouldn’t have asked you to come for dinner, I’d have asked you to babysit my son.”

“I know, silly, I was just kidding.” She chuckled, before zipping up her coat “But sure, we’ll be there. Just don’t forget to send me the address. What time?”

“Does 7PM sound good to you?”

“Sure, no problem. See you tomorrow then?”

“”Yeah, see you.”

 

Nowi waved at her one last time and made her way down the stairs, almost skipping while humming to herself happily. She had to think about hanging out more often, if that brought her this luck. Or maybe she should think about winning the lottery? Maybe if she used that technique, it’d work, who knew. Worth making a detour to the tobbaconist to try out this theory before going home.

 

When she pushed the door of her house, she heard her daughter’s tiny footsteps as she jogged down the corridor. Nowi hung her coat and bag then knelt, opening her arms wide and smiling brightly at her.

 

“Hello, little princess!!”

 

Nah didn’t answer but hug her tight, and Nowi stood back up, carrying her towards the living room. Despite her age, Nah was still lightweight, to an almost alarming rate. Donnel and her had thought wise to have her undergo medical examinations, just in case. It simply turned out that their daughter was fine, she just had a small metabolism. Considering that Nowi herself was small and slim – if not child-looking – it actually made sense. Just simply thought that she would haven taken a bit more after her father.

 

She sat down on the couch, half collapsing on her husband’s side, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. Nah scrambled her way between them and settled in the small gap she found between her parents, drawing a fond chuckle out of them.

 

“Nice day?” He eventually asked, lowering the sound of the TV with the remote.

“Yeah. I finished a bit later because someone required me to prepare a file for tomorrow morning, but I’m good. I bought some lottery tickets by the way. Ah, and Robin invited us this Friday, I said yes. We didn’t have anything planned, right?”

Donnel shook his head “Don’t think so.”

“Where are we going?” Nah asked.

“To Robin’s house, Stahl will be there too. Do you remember them? They’re my coworkers.” Nah nodded with a perplex expression, and she chuckled “Don’t worry sweetie, you won’t be alone. Robin has a son who’s around your age. He’s a really nice boy, so you’ll have someone to play with.”

“Can I still bring my toys?”

Nowi kissed her forehead “Fine, but you have to take care of them, okay?”

“Yes Mom.”

 

Nah wriggled closer to her, and Nowi wrapped an arm around the child’s small body. Donnel smiled tenderly at the two of them, then focused back on the cooking show he was originally watching.

Nowi smiled to herself. Having her husband and daughter at her side was all she needed.

 

\--

 

Chrom grunted, and brought a hand to his face to massage his temples. Lucina noticed his discomfort, and pulled on his hand as they waited for her luggage to arrive.

 

“Are you okay, Dad?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing, just a headache.” He said with a reassuring smile.

 

However, the little girl wasn’t convinced by his statement. She had heard her mother say countless times that he had the tendency to put his health aside for the sake of work. She frowned faintly, pulling on his hand again to get his attention.

 

“You’re not getting sick, are you?” She asked, her tone dubious.

“I promise I’m fine, Lucina. I’m just a bit queasy, that’s all.”

“Sure.” She mumbled to herself, her eyes drifting back to the conveyor belt, scanning it for her suitcase.

 

Since he didn’t seem to listen to her remarks, she kept her next observations to herself. She pretended she didn’t notice his small grunts, his long exhales, and the way his jaw clenched as he drove to the residence. She ignored the hand he put on his stomach as he unloaded the trunk of the car, as well as the hurried way he tried to open the door of the apartment. As soon as it was open, he rushed to the toilets without thinking twice, and the little girl rolled her eyes as she closed the front door. She pulled her suitcase to her bedroom, then went back to the corridor to knock on the toilets’ door.

 

“Are you okay, Dad?”

 

What she heard proved that no, he wasn’t okay. But being Chrom, he assured her he was fine. She rolled her eyes again and went to the bathroom to pick some medicine for him. She sat cross-legged on the cold tiled floor, the osier basket in front of her, and proceeded to check the boxes one by one to see if one corresponded to her father’s symptoms: in his case, a good headache and a _really_ bad case of diarrhea. She found yeast and painkillers, which she deemed appropriate for his condition. Leaving everything scattered on the floor, she went to the kitchen and put the boxes on the table with a large glass of water. As she was making her way to the toilets to check on him, Chrom opened the door with a heavy sigh.

 

“I probably didn’t cover up enough before going out.” He grunted.

“I’ve left some medicine for you in the kitchen. Maybe you should go rest.” She advised with a worried pout.

He smiled and ruffled her hair “Thank you, Luci. I really wanted to spend some time with you though…”

“Dad, I’m not going anywhere. You can nap for a while, you know? I’ll empty my suitcase meanwhile.”

“What a reliable daughter I have.” He said with a warm smile before heading to the kitchen.

 

By the time she brought her dirty laundry to the washing machine, the door of his bedroom had closed with a gentle click. She loaded the washer and left it open so her father could start it later, then went to the bay window of the living room. She unlocked it and stepped on the balcony, observing the building facing hers and the common garden, in search of a familiar boy. Morgan was nowhere to be seen. Too bad. She had a lot to tell him. The blind of his apartment was up, but she couldn’t tell if someone was there or not. Well, she could still wait until school started again, unless she managed to bump into him during the weekend.

 

\--

 

Morgan counted the plates and cutlery, mubling half-Plegian half-Ylissean numbers under his breath. Six of each, the glasses were there as well, the pepper mill and salt shaker were full, the bottle of wine ready to be uncorked. He turned around and scanned the living room in search for last minute tidying up to do. Upon seeing that the room was sparkling clean, he shrugged to himself and walked to the kitchen, where his mother was busy preparing the deviled eggs that would be served as starters. She was wearing her pretty brown dress, the spinning dress – its skirt was wide and it floated like a princess’ dress when she spun, hence the name – and she had, with his help, tied her hair into a Dutch braid. Silver hoop earrings dangled in her neck whenever she moved.

 

“The table is set. Do you need more help, Mom?” He asked.

She lifted her head and smiled at him “I’m good, you can go play until the guests arrive. Oh, and arrange the collar of your shirt, it’s sticking up.”

 

The boy nodded and went to his bedroom while fixing his clothes. He didn’t know how long he had to wait until his mother’s coworkers arrived; after a good minute of hesitation, he decided to play with the brain teasers Lucina had gifted him, so he only had to drop them to go greet their guests. He knew that a girl around his age was coming as well, and although he wasn’t worried about the fact he would get along with her – since he got along with everyone – he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of games she liked. With Lucina, it was easy to stay in his room and read or play board games. Owain, on the other hand, was too young for these kind of games, and was way too energetic to stay still for more than three minutes. At least he had enough toys and imagination to adapt to his future friend’s taste.

 

Stahl was also coming over.

If he had to be fairly honest, he didn’t know how to feel about it. He had met him a few times before, so he knew more or less what he looked like. But back then, he was only his mother’s friend. According to her, he was not her boyfriend – yet – but she couldn’t deny that they were in a blurry phase of courting. To Morgan, it was all the same. Lucina had reassured him about it before, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous and a little awkward at the idea of him coming more often, to slowly make himself some space in their privacy. Well, it wasn’t like Stahl would move in with them next week anyway. He was probably getting worried over nothing.

 

He realised he had been pondering for a long while when he heard the doorbell ring. Robin called him from the kitchen and asked him to open the door, for she was still hands deep in her food. Morgan walked to the living room, buzzed the main door open, then unlocked the entrance door. The idea of finding himself face to face with Stahl crossed his mind and he considered, in a short second of panic, calling for his mother so she could greet him herself. Wringing his hands, he took a deep breath. The sound of steps grew closer in the stairs. Someone knocked on the door. Morgan stood straight, gathering his courage, and opened.

 

He barely tried to conceal his sigh of relief when he saw Nowi’s huge smile.

 

“Hello little one~!” She chirped “Oh, you’ve grown so much! It’s been ages since I last saw you!! Is your mother here?”

He nodded and stepped aside “Yes, she’s in the kitchen.”

 

The blond woman stepped in and gestured at the man who followed her, introducing him as her husband. When his eyes fell on the little girl holding his hand, half hiding behind him, he almost didn’t hear her mother saying her name.

 

“Nah, sweetie, don’t be shy.” She cheered on “Morgan is a nice boy, he won’t eat you.”

 

The little girl needed an encouraging pat of her father on the top of her head to come out of her hideout. She was wearing a bright red coat, with fluff at the end of the sleeves and along the hood, on which fell two grayish braids. Her head was tilted down in shyness, although her amethyst eyes still met his. Morgan felt a weird sensation settle on his stomach, as if he _knew_ hugging this tiny human being would be the best feeling _ever_ , and he barely resisted the urge to do so. He felt his cheeks heat up and blinked, a bit confused by his inexplicable need to either cover this girl in flowers or wrap her in a big warm blanket.

 

“Uh, hello…” she mumbled bashfully “I’m Nah…”

“M-my name is Morgan!! Please to meet you!!” He stuttered, his body too stiff to seem natural when he stretched his arm out to her for a handshake.

 

The girl’s eyes drifted to his hand, and she timidly took it. Her fingers were cold due to the weather outside, and he had to physically restrain himself from taking her hands in his to warm them up. They looked so small in his…and yet he wasn’t that tall himself. Most of the children in his class were taller than him, actually. Nah cleared her throat, and that was when he realised that he had, in fact, not let her hand go. He quickly put his arms behind his back, looking at his feet in shame, and Nowi went to the kitchen with a giggle. Donnel kneeled and helped his daughter out of her coat.

 

When, after a few seconds, he dared to look up at the little girl, he realised that she had been staring at him all this time. Her lips stretched into a discreet smile, and she pointed at the red and white backpack she had put on the ground to remove her winter clothes.

 

“I brought some toys of mine, I hope you don’t mind?”

 

\--

 

“Hey Rob- why are you cooking in the dark?”

 

Robin rolled her eyes with a smile at her friend’s question. Of course she’d be asked about it. It seemed so normal to her that she always forgot that, in fact, cooking with the light of the stove on only was not.

 

“Just a habit of mine. You can switch the light on.”

Nowi did so, and smiled at her “Seems like we arrived first. Do you need any help?”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She placed her last egg on the dish and wiped her hands on a tea towel nearby “Morgan? Can you come here for a second?”

When no reply came, Nowi took a step back to glance at the living room, before turning back to her with a chuckle “I think he’s mesmerized by Nah.”

She lifted an eyebrow in surprise “Is he? That’s a first. Morgan??”

The little boy appeared a couple of seconds after, visibly startled and probably cut in the middle of some heavy thinking process “Y-yes Mom?”

“Can you go pick glasses and appetizers to put them on the coffee table please?”

 

The boy nodded and left. When Robin and Nowi went back to the living room, she greeted Donnel and Nah and invited them to sit on the couch. She fetched syrups and sugary drinks, while her colleague fished a bottle of wine from her bag, claiming that she had bought it with the money of a lucky lottery ticket. Maybe next time she’d get enough for both of them to quit their jobs and buy a huge farm with dozens of animals to take care of. Donnel chuckled at his wife’s extended program of expenditure of this yet nonexistent wealth. The children sat side by side in silence, listening to Nowi’s enthusiastic chatter and, from time to time, glancing at each other. Robin noticed how odd her son’s attitude was; he seemed nervous, far from his usually extroverted self, and kept his hands on his knees. Nah, for her part, was fidgeting with the end of one of her braids, her head tilted down. She knew that the little girl was shy, but she would have never guessed that her shyness could be so contagious that even Morgan would feel it. The knock on her entrance door brought her out of her thoughts.

 

“Ah, that must be Stahl.” She said, giving her son his glass of grenadine, before standing up.

 

She walked to the door, smoothing her dress without paying attention to it, then opened the door. She was greeted by flowers of all sorts and colors and, behind them, a smiling Stahl. He seemed to be pleased by her startled reaction, especially since she could feel her cheeks burning.

 

“Good evening, Miss.” He said.

“I swear to Naga don’t flirt on the doorstep!” Nowi groaned, to which the children answered with a chuckle.

“Oh, they’ve arrived already…” He muttered, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. He cleared his throat and held the bouquet out to Robin “Anyway, these are for you.”

“Thank you, you really didn’t need to.” She whispered back with a warm smile while taking it.

“Of course I had to.” He chuckled “Maybe I should get in before Nowi locks us out.”

 

Robin stepped aside and he walked in, greeting the others with a wave of the hand and a large smile. She immediately went to fetch a vase in the kitchen, filled it with water and put the flowers in it. There were various sorts composing the bouquet, and she recognised roses, daisies, and those tiny white flowers whose name she had unfortunately forgotten. She arranged them with great care, enjoying the soft feeling of the petals under her fingertips. She felt stupidly happy because of the attention. She hadn’t received flowers in a long time. Maybe she could buy some from time to times… or finally find the courage to fill those window boxes that had been hanging aimlessly on the balcony for years already.

 

One of her bracelets got caught in the flowers, which pulled her out of her reverie. She carefully untangled the triangle from the stems, checking if it had not been damaged in the process. Her gaze drifted for a second towards the building facing hers from the window, but she shook her head to ground herself back. She picked the vase and brought it to the living room, putting on the dinner table with great care.

 

Nowi whistled “That’s quite the bouquet.”

“Isn’t it?” Robin said with a beaming smile before sitting next to Stahl on the chairs they had brought around the coffee table “Everyone has their drink?”

Stahl held her a glass of soda “Here’s yours.”

 

His fingers lingered on hers a bit more than he should have, but as soon as the touch was gone, he focused back on what Donnel was telling him before. Robin observed him, sipping her drink in silence. He had tried to tame his hair, for it was less all over the place than the usual. He had neatly rolled the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, and she realised that he was actually more muscular than he seemed. Her gaze drifted to Morgan, who was in her field of vision as well. He seemed to have opened up to Nah, and both of them were chatting discreetly, caught in their little bubble. She smiled to herself as she brought her glass to her lips again.

This was a good evening.

 

\--

 

The door cracked open, fortunately without making too much sound. Lucina poked her head in the darkness, and saw that her father was still asleep, his back turned to her.

 

“Dad?” She called discreetly. Chrom grunted under the covers, which she took as a sign that he was listening to her “It’s eight thirty. I’m hungry.”

He rolled on his back and rubbed his eyes with the heel oh his hands “Oh, you should have woken me up earlier, Luci…”

“You needed to sleep, though.”

He sat up, his head still foggy with sleep and his voice hoarse “I might not be able to sleep tonight if I sleep too much. What do you want to eat?”

“Nothing complicated?”

“Pasta with butter sounds good?”

She nodded “Do you need help?”

Chrom stood up and yawned “Don’t worry sweetheart. I feel a bit better now I’ve napped.”

 

Lucina stepped aside so he could walk out of the room, and followed him to the kitchen. She set the table while he put a pan on the stove, then went to her bedroom to get changed. She picked a clean purple nightgown and put it on, before walking back to the living room. Chrom had sat down in the kitchen, going through his phone lazily as he waited for the water to boil. She joined him and sat down in front of him.

 

“Are you feeling better?” She inquired.

He lifted his eyes from his screen to smile at her “I do. The medicine helped.” He suddenly seemed to remember something “By the way, this has nothing to do with it, but Robin lent me a book the other day. Would you like to read it with me?”

Lucina blinked, then smiled discreetly “Of course! What is it?”

“It’s called Howl’s Moving Castle. Robin assured that you’d love it.”

She crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side and looking up pensively “Mmh… I think Morgan told me about it. The name rings a bell.”

Chrom put his phone down and reached across the table to pick some speck of dust that had been caught in her hair “Apparently it’s about wizards and magic in general.”

Her eyes lit up “Really??”

Chrom nodded “Yeah, although I don’t know much. I wasn’t motivated to read it on my own, I thought you’d be able to help me do that.”

 

Lucina’s chest swelled with pride. Her dad could do a lot of things, but when he required her help, she always felt like she was a reliable person and not just a child. He had promised her he’d teach her how to cook soon and how to run a load of washing up with the proper amount of detergent. Soon enough she’d be able to do more than just taking care of the dishwasher. She smiled brightly, her teeth – or lack of – showing; it seemed to surprise him.

 

“I’ll do my best!!” She chirped.

 

He ruffled her hair affectionately, a warm smile on his lips.

 

\--

 

Morgan seemed to be struggling with his piece of meat. Nah had asked her parents for help as soon as she had been served, but the young boy had claimed that he was fine and that he could cut it himself. Robin had not insisted. Now Stahl could see that he had just been trying to show off and play grown-up, much to the child’s own frustration. At some point, he sighed and put his fork and knife down, then discreetly looked in the direction of his mother, who was sitting at the other end of the table. Nah glanced at him but didn’t comment. He probably didn’t dare admit his defeat out loud. Maybe now was the time to make a good impression on him.

 

It was stupid. Trying to impress a child, because he was wooing his mother? It seemed odd, yet justified. If Nowi knew what was going on in his head right now, she’d certainly laugh.

 

Stahl cleared his throat and discreetly leaned to the side, until he was sure only Morgan could hear him.

 

“Do you need help with your food?” He whispered.

 

Morgan startled and looked up at him, confusion and embarrassment all over his face. He was Robin’s spitting image. He pinched his lips, searching for something in Stahl’s eyes; maybe a proof that he genuinely wanted to help him and was not looking down on him. Maybe he was weighing the pros and cons of letting _him_ give him a hand. In the end, he averted his eyes and pushed his plate towards him.

 

“Yes… Please.”

“This meat is hard to cut.” Stahl admitted, then looked at the knife the boy had been using “Especially with a butter knife like yours.”

 

He picked his own knife instead, and pretended to struggle as he cut the meat. From the corner of the eye, he noticed that Morgan was staring at him, which increased his nervousness and his need to do things well. Once done, he gave the plate back to him with a smile.

 

“There you go.”

Morgan smiled at him “Thank you.”

 

Stahl made a victory sign under the table. He then tried to get back into the others’ conversation, and noticed Robin looking at him in silence, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. She smiled warmly at him, her eyes shining with softness. She had seen them. Most likely. He smiled at her, and before she could do or say anything, Nowi asked her something and she looked away.

 

\--

 

_“The most interesting thing was the talk from the customers. Nobody can buy a hat without gossiping. Sophie sat in her alcove and stitched and heard that the Mayor never would eat green vegetables, and that Wizard Howl’s castle had moved round to the cliffs again, really that man, whisper, whisper, whisper… The voices always dropped low when they talked of Wizard Howl, but Sophie gathered that he had caught a girl down the valley last month. “Bluebeard!” said the whispers, and then became voices again to say-“_

 

Lucina’s eyes fell on her father, curled up at her side and an arm wrapped around her lap. His breath was slow and regular. She had no idea when he had fallen asleep, but he had to be extremely tired to doze off when she had barely had the time to read the first dozen pages. He had tried to read to her, but when she had noticed his head hurt because of the – however dimmed – light, they had traded and she had started reading to him instead. It was a first, but she liked it. It was funny to see her father fall asleep when being read a story. She closed the book and delicately extracted herself from his warm – maybe too warm – embrace. She put the book on the nightstand, turned the light off, and walked out while closing the door behind her. It was not that late, she thought. Or maybe she wasn’t feeling tired. She walked to the living room, and noticed that the blinds were still open. There was light coming from Morgan’s apartment. She couldn’t see well, but there seemed to be a lot of people there. She switched the blind down and walked back to her bedroom, making sure she turned all the lights off on the way there.

 

Once settled comfortably in her bed, she looked at the glow-in-the-dark stars above her. Morgan didn’t like that they formed no pattern. She had not really thought about it when her father had lifted her in his arms so she could stick them herself, the both of them in a precarious balance on the stepladder. She wasn’t sure that now they were stuck, they could move them again. Well, that could also mean she was looking at another night sky, from another world.

 

She wondered if sewing hats was fun. Sophie seemed to enjoy it, although she didn’t particularly like selling them. Wizard Howl seemed to be a scary person. But she knew how books worked; if Sophie was the main character, then that mean she would at least befriend him. He was probably less scary that everyone portrayed him to be.

 

Like Plegians.

 

Lucina blinked at her own thought. Why had she suddenly thought about Plegians? Plegians were not wizards. Except Morgan, maybe. She could easily picture him as a wizard. When they played together, he always preferred using magic to defeat the enemies, rather than using a sword like her. Sometimes he did, but it wasn’t his favourite weapon. But he wasn’t a bad person. Robin was not, either. Actually, she liked her.

 

So why did she keep on hearing people in the street or TV that Plegian people were bad? She didn’t understand, and she wasn’t truly sure she wanted to. Robin and Morgan were nice people. He had told her about his aunt and his grandmother, who seemed to be nice people as well. So where had they all got this idea? Had she missed something? It wasn’t like there were a lot of Plegians in the city, how would they know? There were a lot more in Ylisstol, and even there she hadn’t seen anyone do anything bad.

 

Speaking of Ylisstol, she wondered if she would see her mother one more time before the baby was born. She was kind of excited about it, now she understood all the things that were happening in her belly. Was she going to be a good big sister? She’d do her best to be helpful and make sure they wouldn’t get hurt. She’d teach them how to jump rope while crossing their arms and show them how to build the perfect blanket fort, one that wouldn’t collapse on them in the middle of their games. She smiled at the idea. Now she couldn’t wait to meet the baby.

 

Her mind was full of games and hopes when she fell asleep.

 

\--

 

“And now, look closely!”

 

Morgan and Nah leaned closer, watching Stahl’s hands with curiosity as he wrapped the fingers of his right hand around the thumb of his left one, and suddenly pulled. Part of his thumb had detached, the missing part still between his wrapped fingers. Nah gasped loudly, then burst into laughter.

 

“He cut his finger!!” She shrieked, holding her sides from the laughter.

 

 

Morgan, although very amused by the trick, found himself leaning even closer, trying to not fall from the couch in the process. How on Earth had he managed to move part of his thumb to his other hand? That was odd. He gave Stahl a dubious look, a pensive pout on his lips. He sure wouldn’t find the answer in his eyes, but when the man winked at him, he knew that something was up. It was not just magic. He was pulled from his thoughts when Nah shook his arm, still laughing.

 

“It’s so funny!!” She said, her cheeks red from the laughter.

“Y-yeah, it is.” He replied, a bit taken aback by such an outburst of joy.

“And now…” Stahl announced, drawing their attention to him again. He suddenly shook his hands, as if they were wet, and held them up. All of his fingers were in their rightful place “Tada~!”

 

Nah shrieked again, holding onto Morgan’s arm tighter. Behind Stahl, sitting at the table, he saw his mother smiling fondly at them. Nowi seemed to be as excited as Nah by the magic trick, while Donnel crossed his arms and tried to bite down a grin.

 

“How did you do it?” the little boy asked.

“Magic.” Stahl replied innocently.

 

Morgan gave him a suspicious look, but Stahl did not give in. Nah pulled on his arm again, asking him if they could go play in his room now. He nodded with a small smile, then they ran off to his bedroom.

 

Despite her previous excitement, Nah calmed down as soon as he closed the door. She looked around, her eyes falling on the forgotten brain-teasers on the ground. She crouched and took one in her tiny hands, lifting it to her face and trying to guess what these pieces of twisted metal could be.

 

“What’s that?” She eventually asked, turning towards him.

Morgan sat next to her, ignoring the heat in his cheeks “Brain-teasers. Do you know what they are?”

She nodded “I think I do.” She let herself fall on her behind and crossed her tiny legs, fidgeting with the toy “The goal is to separate the two pieces, right?”

He nodded “That’s right.”

She looked at the rest of the box “How many did you manage to do?”

He crossed his arms and looked up pensively “Around half of them, I guess?”

She leaned closer, her eyes shining “Can you show me???”

 

She seemed to be a totally different person now. She had not said anything before dinner, just observed him and the adults, until Morgan had tentatively started asking her questions. Which year she was in, what was her favourite movie, if she had pets. Just simple things to break the ice. She had shyly replied to them, gradually opening up until she had smiled widely at him. He had decided to brand the moment into his memory, for he was sure she would have made flowers sprout if they hadn’t been inside. Now she seemed perfectly at ease with him. Hiding from the adults probably helped. He held his hand out to her and she gave him the piece of metal, which had warmed up in her small hands. He leaned against the frame of his bed, so did she, and he slowly started to undo the toy, explaining at the same time why they had to do it that way. When the piece came off, he put it back in again and held it out to her, so she could try it out too. She struggled a bit, but eventually managed to undo it as well with a pleasantly surprised expression.

 

“I did it!” She chirped.

Morgan grabbed another one “Let’s try the others then.”

 

\--

 

Sumia sighed in delight, her eyes fluttering closed. Gaius smiled to himself, pressing harder with his thumbs on the sole of her left foot. He then started moving towards her ankle, and gradually up her calf, kneading the soreness out of her system.

 

“You do miracles with your hands.” She sighed again.

“That’s what they all say.” He said with a mischievous grin.

She gently nudged him with her right foot, an amused smile on her lips “Idiot.”

“I have only eyes for you, though.”

“You’d better have.” She chuckled, then gave him a loving look.

He dramatically put a hand on his heart “Sumia, no! That’s not fair!”

She wriggled against the armrest of the couch, trying to find a more comfortable position and patting around to rearrange the cushions “What isn’t?”

He let go of her foot to help her, and knelt next to her once she was done “You can’t give me that look. It makes me want to have another child with you.”

She giggled, her face turning red in embarrassment “You’ll have to be a bit patient, there’s already a tenant in there.”

He kissed her belly over her pyjamas, then her lips, before brushing some of her curls behind her ear “I think I can be.”

“You talk about me, but you also give me _that_ look sometimes.” She said, opening her arms “Come here.”

 

He sat on the very edge of the couch and leaned over her with great care, directly nuzzling in the crook of her neck. She was warm. And soft. And she smelled good. He felt blessed to be loved by such an incredible woman. He felt a thump against his side, and huffed against her skin.

 

“Someone’s jealous that you get all the attention.” He mumbled.

She squeezed him harder “Let me have you all to myself while I can, because you’re going to turn into a doting father and be all over the child.”

He snorted “Guess I can’t deny it.”

“Gaius?”

He lifted his head to look at her “Yes, babe?”

She smiled warmly “I love you.”

He kissed her tenderly “I love you too.”

 

\--

 

Morgan piled up the firewood in silence, leaving out the branches that were too wet to burn correctly. He lifted his head and observed the young woman, whose silhouette contrasted with the bluish light that shone outside the cavern –  although cavern was a big word, it was more of a cavity in the hill they had been busy climbing until the rain had started to fall. Nah observed the birch trees and the blanket of wet fallen leaves on the ground, her regular breath coming out in small puffs of steam. The temperature had dropped with the weather, but it was still light enough to see outside. The night would fall in an hour or two. She extended her hand, palm up, until droplets starting gliding along its delicate lines. Something was captivating about the scene, and the piece of wood he had been holding slipped out of his hand, forgotten. The muffled clatter caught her attention, and she faced him. The diffuse cold light made a sort of aura around her.

 

She finally broke the silence “Everything okay?”

The young man shook his head to recompose himself “Yeah, I was just lost in my thoughts.”

 

She walked back to him, bending to avoid bumping her head on the low ceiling and keeping a hand on the rock wall for balance. He moved aside to give her some space to sit next to him. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them to keep warm.

 

“Here, take this.” He said, undoing his coat – the one he had inherited from his mother – and wrapping it around her small frame.

“It’s okay, really.” The young woman replied with a worried pout, trying to stop him.

He shook his head “Just take it for the time being, I’m almost done with the fire.”

She pinched her lips “…Fine.”

 

They fell silent again. Nah eventually held the coat tighter against her in attempt to keep warm. Paradoxically, Plegian coats were made to endure the burning sun of the desert, but they also did an excellent job at keeping their owners warm. He had not seen the said desert yet, but according to the others, they would have to cross it at some point to stop the bad guys they were after. He had finally managed to find Nah, but they had been caught by surprise by this rain. They would reach the camp later than he had planned.

 

Well, was it really a problem?

 

Morgan cleared his throat and fished his tome from his bag. He didn’t even bother opening it, only putting the palm of his hand on the cover. He clicked his fingers and a small flame appeared on the top of the pile of firewood, struggling for a few seconds until it settled correctly. In a matter of minutes, they were enveloped in a warm bubble, and his friend sighed in relief.

 

“Are you feeling better?” He asked, turning towards her.

She nodded with a grateful smile “I am, thank you.” She opened her bag and pulled out two apples “We should eat something, while we can.”

“You’re right.”

 

Morgan leaned against the cold and humid rock, ignoring the shiver that spread through his entire body at the contact. The young woman noticed it, though, and snuggled closer. She leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she started nibbling on her apple. He tensed ever so faintly, his heartbeat quickening in his ribcage. He hesitantly rested his head on hers, and when she didn’t comment on it, decided that he’d rather not move.

 

“Once we reach the camp, we’ll try to figure out where to find you a new dragonstone.” He eventually said.

He felt her voice vibrating under his cheek when she replied “Yeah… Will the others be okay with me joining in, though?”

“Don’t worry, they’ll be delighted to have someone else supporting our cause.” He sighed “Saving the world is not an easy task, so I can’t hold it against people.”

She chuckled, her laughter like a chirp “Try being half-dragon then. _That’s_ not an easy task.”

He snorted “Can’t deny it.”

 

Nah shivered and snuggled even closer. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, ignoring how the cold tickled his left arm, the furthest from their epicentre of warmth. He wanted to tell her that he was half-dragon too.

 

But he couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the darkness gnawing this side of him.

 

\--

 

“Oh my, Donnel, it’s getting super late.” Nowi gasped while checking her phone.

“Maybe we should go home, then.” He suggested.

Robin stood up from her chair “I’m going to fetch the kids.”

“I’m coming with you.” Her colleague added.

 

They walked towards Morgan’s room, and Robin gently pushed the door open, a bit puzzled by the lack of noise. As soon as they caught sight of the children, Nowi slapped her hands on her mouth to muffle her squeal.

They had fallen asleep on the carpet, the wooden rectangle pieces of one of his construction sets piled up in the middle of the bedroom. Nah had nuzzled against his chest, Aversa’s cape on her shoulders, his arms wrapped loosely around her.

 

They were adorable.

 

“Oh my gods they’re just so _cute_???” Nowi whispered.

“They totally are.” Robin replied, fanning herself.

 

Her friend tiptoed her way inside, and leaned over them to take a few pictures of them. Once satisfied with the outcome, she crouched and gently shook her daughter awake.

 

“Nah, baby, we’re going home.” She said with a sweet voice.

“No…” She groaned sleepily, holding Morgan closer.

Robin walked in and crossed her arms, smiling “Guess you’ll have to take my son too.”

Nowi smirked at her “Well, at least you’ll have some time alone with Stahl.”

 

She blushed, taken aback by the comment. Nowi giggled and tried waking up her daughter again. This time, her whining pulled Morgan out of his sleep, who sat up, grogginess all over his face. It was hilarious.

 

He was still sluggish when the little family was on the doorstep, ready to leave. The only thing that seemed to pull him out of his state of borderline-sleepwalking was when Nah kissed his cheek on her way out. At that, he blushed really hard, and spent the next minute staring at his feet in embarrassment, until they left.

 

Robin patted his shoulder “Go put your pyjamas on, and off to bed.” She instructed.

“Yes, mom.” He mumbled.

 

Leaving him to his own devices, she started gathering the dirty dishes and brought everything back to the kitchen. She put the leftovers in a single plate and wrapped it in cellophane. In the distance, she heard Stahl explaining her son how the trick he had showed them earlier worked. It had been a good evening. To her relief, Morgan seemed to be fine with Stahl’s presence, and got on quite well with him. At least, enough for him to not throw a tantrum or complain about his presence.

 

She closed the dishwasher and started it. She was about to turn around when two hands settled on the counter on each side of her. She felt Stahl’s breath on her neck, then the ticklish feeling of his hair on her shoulder when he rested his forehead against her skin.

 

“Is it weird to say that I’m relieved?” He half-whispered.

She inhaled deeply before replying “Are you?”

“Yeah… I was sort of worried about your son’s reaction so…”

She could feel his breath on her skin whenever he spoke, and it lowkey distracted her “Well, to be honest, I was a bit worried too…”

“That makes us even.” He huffed. She almost saw the smile on his lips as he did so.

 

This was the most “intimate” moment they had shared so far. She somehow felt hyperaware of his presence in her back, of the smell of his perfume tickling her nose pleasantly, of his warmth spreading on her shoulder and along her upper back. He exhaled shakily behind her. He was bracing himself. Her heart was hammering in her ribcage, excitement coursing through her veins exactly like when she was a teenager. He put one of his hands on her hip and pulled ever so faintly. She got the message and turned around, until she leaned against the counter and faced him. He was blushing heavily, his lips pinched in anticipation.

 

She noticed his hand was back on the counter, next to hers. She nudged his wrist. His arm instantly fell at his side. She could leave if she wanted to. He was giving her the choice. However, her eyes never left his, pulled in by the timid strength of his gaze.

 

When he realised that she was not going to walk away, he leaned closer. And closer. And closer. So close, that she felt his breath on her lips. She waited. He did not go further. She gave him a puzzled look, to which he did not react. Then she understood. He was, again, giving her the choice. She would be the one to take the decision.

 

So she did.

 

Robin closed the gap between their mouths. It felt new. It felt foreign. As if these seven years of celibacy had erased all she knew about romance, stripping her soul bare until all was left was the sixteen-year-old Robin who experimented kissing for the first time. He kissed her back slowly, letting her become accustomed to his mouth before daring to graze his teeth on her lower lip. Her breath trembled, and before she knew it, she had slipped her hands in his hair and pressed her chest against his. Stahl gasped against her. His hands settled on her body, one between her shoulder blades, the other on her waist.

 

It felt nice. It almost made her regret having left out this aspect of her life for so long. But she didn’t want to think; she wanted, needed to enjoy it while it lasted, and that’s how she realised that she had probably been more touch-deprived than she wanted to admit. She smiled into the kiss, hormones kicking in and making her dizzy.

 

“Mom?”

 

They literally jumped away from each other just as Morgan walked in, rubbing his eyes with a yawn.

 

Robin cleared her throat “Y-yes, sweetie?”

“My duvet got twisted inside the cover last night, can you help me fix it?” He asked.

She instantly walked out of the kitchen “Sure, let’s go.”

 

She avoided looking at Stahl on her way out, still shaken up by what had just happened and how abruptly Morgan had popped up their bubble of intimacy. The little boy climbed in his bed, and waited for her to rearrange the sheets. She was well aware of the presence of the man at the doorframe of the bedroom as she sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her son goodnight. She turned the bedside lamp off and exited the room, closing the door behind her with a mastered softness.

 

Stahl was already in the living room when she joined him. He was swinging back and forth on his feet, his hands buried deep in his jeans pockets and his lips pinched into a thin line. He seemed as flustered as she was.

 

“I, uh… I’m going to head home too.” He said, scratching his neck.

She nodded, looking down at her feet “O-okay.”

He chuckled “It’s funny, you react exactly like Morgan.”

She forced a laugh “I guess, yeah.”

 

He stepped closer and took her hand, played with her fingers, dragging his own across her skin, to her wrist. When he slipped one of them under the shining triangle dangling, she felt her heart squeeze uncomfortably in her chest.

 

“That’s a beautiful bracelet.” He commented.

“Yeah…” She mumbled.

“Did you buy it? I noticed you never take it off.”

She chewed on her lower lip, avoiding his gaze at all costs “It’s a Christmas present from a friend of mine.”

“Well, they have good taste.”

 

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each of her knuckles, before letting it go. He picked up his jacket and put it on. His arm snaked around her waist and he gave her a gentle kiss, then took a step back and smiled.

 

“I guess that makes us official?” He chuckled.

“Do you want it to be?”

“I do.”

 

He smiled at her, tenderness pouring out of his gaze. She walked to him and kissed him one last time. He slipped out of her embrace to open the door, wishing her goodnight, then walked down the stairs with a last wave of the hand and a bright smile.

 

When she locked the door, she rested her forehead against it. She took a deep breath, then another, then another. She had not expected all of this to happen… And she did not regret it. It was just a lot to process. For the first time in a very, very long time, she felt like something new was happening to her.

It was refreshing.

 

\--

 

She knew from the first look that something was off with Chrom. He was unusually pale, a bit slow to react, and the way his jaw clenched showed that he was trying to suppress some kind of pain. But Chrom was Chrom. She knew him more than well. It was easy to guess that he pretended to be okay, when he clearly wasn’t.

 

“You’re not coming down with something, are you?” Cordelia asked as he cleaned the fork he had used to eat and put it to dry.

Chrom turned around and wiped his hands on the towel nearby “Me? Of course not. Just an uncooperative stomach over the weekend, nothing important.”

 

It was so “not important” that he literally ran to the closest bathroom half an hour later to throw up his lunch. Cordelia rolled her eyes; she had heard enough stories from Sumia to know it would be a matter of time. She brought him a fresh glass of water and a couple of paper towels, then patted his back encouragingly.

 

“Nothing important, uh,” She teased, although with a hint of worry in her voice.

“…Fine, I guess it is.” He groaned, before spitting in the toilets and wiping his mouth with the towels.

“Should I call a doctor?”

He waved his hand “I’ll do it, don’t worry. Do you mind picking up Luci at school today? I think I’m going to head home directly…”

“Of course.”

 

He left fifteen minutes later, waving weakling at Vaike and her on his way out. As soon as the door closed behind him, she sighed and shook her head. That man was a walking disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was thinking about things I could write regarding Chrobin interactions, with or without the children. I was thinking about them going either clubbing or to a concert? What do you guys think? If you have other suggestions, please share!
> 
> So Contagious was about Nah and Morgan by the way!!
> 
> You can also contact me at @trcelyneart on tumblr if you want to talk or share your thoughts!!
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! See you soon for part 2 :)


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